Newton Tech Plan

Newton Public Schools Newton,Massachusetts

Approved by:Dr. David A. Fleishman,Superintendent of SchoolsJanuary, 2012

Contact:Leo Brehm,Director of Information Technology

Email:[email protected]:617-559-6190

InstructionalTechnology

Plan 2011-2013


Plan

Updated: 2011-2012

Action PlanOrganizational Chart

Budget

Newton Public Schools • Newton, Massachusetts


Plan2011 – 2013

Executive Summary

“The Newton Public Schools is committed to preparing ourchildren to succeed in a global economy. To that end, ourschool system needs sustainable, up-to-date technology infra-structure, equipment and staff support. We see as a priorityfor FY’08 establishing a technology plan that explains howbest to leverage the investments we have made to date intechnology as we build our stock for the future.”

Dr. Jeffrey Young, Superintendent of Schools

One of the biggest challenges Newton educators face is preparing our students towork and thrive in the 21st century. Most educators realize that in addition to “tradi-tional” basic literacy, we need to teach students the vital skills required in this digitalage, such as critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. By providing up-to-date resources, along with the professional development needed to make the best useof these resources, we are able to weave technology into teaching and learning. Thisintegration will help us to differentiate instruction and engage students in the questfor deeper understanding of concepts needed to flourish in a complex and ever-chang-ing society.

Newton’s Three-Year Plan (2008-2011) outlines the resources necessary for teachersand administrators to meet this challenge and for students to take advantage of up-to-date electronic resources and opportunities to collaborate within and outside theclassroom walls. Its goals are organized in four key areas listed in the MassachusettsSTaR Chart (http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/sac/edtech/star.html):

• Teaching and Learning

• Educator Preparation and Development (Professional Development)

• Infrastructure

• Administration and Support Services

These key focus areas, along with the findings and recommendations of the NewtonPublic Schools Technology Advisory Committee (see Current Status section), serve asthe foundation of the Tech Plan.

Each key focus area has detailed action plans for an extended first year, January 2008to June 2009. Action plans beyond “Year One” are outlined and will be modified orimplemented, once “Year One” action steps are complete.

Improving teaching and learning is at the heart of the plan. Instructional leaders andteachers are committed to incorporating technology resources to improve academicachievement. A powerful strategy to achieve this end involves common agreements of

2 • Preparing our students to thrive in a global community

best areas for technology integration by grade level and/or subject area and thenchanneling our resources to these designated areas. Best practices for technologyintegration will be shared among staff and disseminated throughout the system toensure a baseline of professional technological competence to support the educationof each and every student. In addition, technology will be used to promote data-drivendecision making to better inform teachers about individual student strengths andweaknesses.

Just-in-time professional development will be a critical component to the success ofthe schools’ technology initiative. Teachers need the time and the support to learnhow to incorporate new tools effectively into each curriculum area and to evaluateresources that promote student achievement. Providing the necessary infrastructuregoes hand in hand with extensive and ongoing training. To accomplish this mission,Newton faculty needs access to up-to-date tools and a technology infrastructure that iswell supported and maintained.

Last, we need to embrace a collective vision of how technology serves as a foundationfor educating Newton students in the 21st century. Staff, students, and parents mustshare this vision. Realizing that technology is constantly changing, this plan is meantto be a “living document” that is shared broadly and updated annually in order toexpand the pockets of successful practice already in place. (The Sun Technology Auditgives greater detail of existing technology practices. Go to:http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/technology/TAC/news.html).

Careful planning is needed to identify and replicate current best practices at gradelevels/ disciplines throughout the district as well as adopt newer, more efficient prac-tices. Ongoing assessment and evaluation are critical to ensure that we are keeping toour vision of educating students to participate fully in a global society. Like most K-12enterprises, Newton Schools struggle with providing the funding for the infrastruc-ture, including a reasonable life-cycle plan for hardware replacement needed to do ourjobs effectively and efficiently. Keeping pace with fiscal constraints while ensuringthat Newton students will thrive in today’s knowledge-based, global society is a chal-lenge our school community is ready to face.

NPS Three-Year Technology Plan, 2011-2013 • 3



Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................2

CURRENT STATUS ..............................................................7

INFRASTRUCTURE.........................................................7

STAFFING .........................................................................8

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.................................9

FUNDING........................................................................10

TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND PLANNING ..........11

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY SPRING 2007 REVIEW..............................12

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE SPRING 2007 REVIEW..................................................14

NEXT STEPS ..................................................................15

VISION ..................................................................................16

2008 – 2011 GOALS .............................................................17

EVALUATION PLAN ..........................................................19

OVERVIEW .....................................................................19

OVERSIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVALUATION................................................................19DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS STRATEGIES ............................................................... 19

CONCLUSION ..............................................................20

DETAILED ACTION PLANS .............................................21

TEACHING AND LEARNING.......................................21

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT..............................29

INFRASTRUCTURE.......................................................33

ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT............................37

APPENDIX A : CLASSROOM CONFIGURATION

APPENDIX B : TECHNOLOGY PLANNING TEAM

APPENDIX C : GLOSSARY

APPENDIX D : ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

APPENDIX E : 2009-2010 UPDATED ACTION PLANS & FUNDED REQUESTS

6 Preparing our students to thrive in a global community

APPENDIX F: 2010-2012 UPDATED ACTION PLANS & FUNDED REQUESTS

REQUEST FOR FUNDING YEAR ONE.........................40

Current Status

InfrastructureNewton has a long history of using technology for both instructional and administra-tive needs. The IT Department supports a total of 5,474 computers, 35% of which areolder than five years (count as of 11/07). The IT Department also manages a variety ofservers housed centrally at the administrative office (Ed Center) that host a wide vari-ety of management programs, such as email services, library automation, transporta-tion, budget, financial planning, and student management. Newton’s student manage-ment system (Pearson/Chancery SMS) is one of the most important and heavily usedservices in the district. It tracks most of the student and family data related to the12,500+ students in the district and improves the faculty’s effectiveness in the class-room in areas such as elementary progress reports, grading, attendance, and studentschedules.

Information Technology oversees all aspects of the wired and wireless network; fromdesign to implementation, from capacity planning to technology upgrades, from class-room and computer lab renovations to day-to-day network troubleshooting. Closelyaligned with network oversight is the district access to World Wide Web. The Internetprovides the instructional staff with an almost limitless range of learning resourcesthat can be integrated into the curriculum and easily referenced in the classroom. AllInternet web page access is routed through the Ed Center where the content isscreened and filtered for inappropriate web sites.

The district has made measured progress by improving the infrastructure andteacher/student access to technology tools. Every school building is connected withRCN fiber back to the Ed Center with a 100 megabit backbone using consistent Ciscoswitching. The four middle and two high schools were upgraded to 1 gigabit in Spring2007 with dynamic VLAN (virtual local area network) technology to isolate studentfrom faculty network traffic. With the growing use of laptop technology and theincreased demand for wireless access, the Department is providing a comprehensiveapproach to building a wireless infrastructure. This approach began at the middleschool level to support the Breaking Ranks in the Middle (BRIM) initiative. The com-plete installation of wireless access using Cisco managed access points for the fourmiddle schools was completed in fall 2007. Additional installations are planned for theelementary level during the 2007-2008 school year.

Instructional technology use has been fostered by the K-12 teacher laptop and technol-ogy-infused elementary classrooms initiatives. Every classroom teacher and mostclassroom specialists are provided with a teacher wireless laptop. With the readyaccess of mobile computing, teachers are able to access tools that increase their pro-ductivity in accomplishing daily administrative tasks and in developing curriculummaterials.

Elementary classroom teachers developed technology-rich classrooms through the useof Newton Schools Foundation grant funding. The Shaping Innovative Learning


Communities (SILC) and Exemplars for Creating Integrated Technology Experiences(ExCITE) model outfitted classrooms with mobile wireless laptop carts for student use.These pilot programs have given students the opportunity to use technology toolsdirectly in the classroom as needed, rather than during a pre-scheduled session.Students have “hands-on” opportunities to seamlessly use the various technologicalresources (applications, online research, Web applets, and scientific probes) intro-duced by the teacher. SILC and ExCITE teachers, along with many other creative andinnovative teachers at every elementary school, have built the foundation needed tobegin the process of expanding technology best practices at every grade level.

At the middle school level, library teachers and instructional technology specialistshave been collaborating with regular classroom teachers to identify and agree uponprojects at each grade and subject area that infuse technology in meaningful ways.These projects incorporate key instructional technology benchmarks and informationliteracy competencies. This mapping guarantees that each student has the opportuni-ty to learn using technology in a consistent pattern.

At the two high schools, a similar mapping process will be piloted during the 2007-08school year. Teachers at both high schools are working with library teachers and theinstructional technology specialist to identify specific curricular areas where technol-ogy will make the greatest impact on student learning. In each discipline there arepockets of exemplary technology integration. The challenge will be to disseminateand replicate these practices so that every student has equal opportunity to use tech-nology to deepen understanding.

The implementation of the web-based automation system (Destiny by Follett) for alltwenty-one libraries is improving how teachers and students use the library. This newonline access to the book collection and other resources helps to strengthen and buildupon the library-classroom connection within the district. The next step will be tomake these resources available to students and parents from home.

StaffingSmall incremental increases in staffing these past two years have provided support forstudents and staff in both curricular and technical areas. Instructional technologyspecialists (ITS) and library teachers partner with classroom teachers to develop tech-nology-enhanced lessons that support agreed-upon curricular units and deepen stu-dent understanding. Library teachers instruct students in the research and informa-tion literacy process as well as foster an appreciation and love of literature. The tech-nical computing staff is in the field managing our wide and local area network for 21schools and the Ed Center. Newton is working toward matching the Department ofEducation staffing ratios. As of September 2007, each ITS supports 136 teachers (stateratio is 1 FTE per 60-120 teachers), and each technician supports 385 computers (stateratio is 1 FTE per 200 computers) district-wide. (see Appendix D for IT Departmentorganization chart)


Professional DevelopmentThrough a combination of operating budget, state grants (Title V and IID), andNewton Schools Foundation grants, funds have provided key professional developmentworkshops to promote the adoption of instructional and administrative uses of tech-nology. Professional development has focused on training for effective use of theteacher laptops and creating technology-infused lessons that support the curriculum.Teachers participated in workshops led by the ITS to learn how to use the new operat-ing system and programs installed on the teacher laptops. Some teachers extendedthis learning by participating in the summer four-day workshops (“Windows” or“iCamp”) to develop lessons to support their curriculum units.

Beginning at the middle school level, the instructional technology specialists areusing a course management system (Moodle) to develop online courses to complementface-to-face technology training and development. These online courses will extend tospecific content area instruction as well.

Two projects using Robotics technology are being piloted at the elementary and mid-dle school level. Students in a fourth grade classroom at Mason-Rice have been work-ing in small teams using LEGO MINDSTORMS kits to develop projects using comput-er programming and problem-solving skills. At Bigelow Middle School, students par-ticipate in an after-school Robolab Club creating robotics projects that teach studentspre-engineering concepts.(http://www2.edc.org/itestlrc/projects/comprehensive/robotics_ma.asp)

Secondary teachers are involved in several other new technology programs. Middleschool teachers are using video streaming resources to support differentiated, stan-dards-based learning in all middle school classrooms. Video streaming refers to theprocess of viewing video over the Internet. Teachers (and students) have access toover 50,000 video segments and 5,000 full-length educational videos created byDiscovery School and other award-winning producers.

A group of middle school seventh grade science teachers are piloting the River Cityproject, a Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) for learning scientific inquiry and21st century skills. River City is an interactive computer simulation for studentslearning about disease transmission and scientific methods. (http://muve.gse.har-vard.edu/rivercityproject/)

A small number of secondary math and science teachers are participating in theDepartment of Education and Metro South/West Regional Employment Board pro-gram, Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology (LIFT2). This initiativeoffers middle school and high school science, technology, engineering, and math teach-ers (STEM) a professional education experience that integrates relevant, "real world"externships in innovative, high-tech industries with graduate course work at leadinguniversities. The goal is to improve the academic preparation of all students throughincreased awareness, interest, and motivation and, specifically, to increase the numberof women and minorities who pursue STEM post-secondary majors and careers.(http://www.lift2.org/)


At the high school level, we are partnering with the Metro South/West RegionalEmployment Board to plan for the Saturday STEM Academy for underserved studentsheld at Olin College of Engineering in Needham, MA. This program will be modeledafter the MIT SEED Academy and offer METCO high school students the opportunityto learn about core math and science subjects.

Additionally, three secondary teachers from Newton and three from Cambridge PublicSchools are participating in the DOE program to offer curriculum-rich online profes-sional development to teachers. The teachers are collaborating with the EducationDevelopment Center, Inc. to develop and facilitate the online course Using Real MathData in the Mathematics Classroom to improve the instruction of statistics and dataanalysis.

FundingDuring the past five years, the budget for technology has provided for incrementalimprovements in the infrastructure, including a major upgrade of the wide-area net-work and server capacity to access and save files easily throughout the district. TheParent Teacher Organizations (PTOs) and Parent Teacher Student Organizations(PTSOs), especially at the elementary and middle level, have been instrumental inraising funds to replace aging computers. Although these funds have helped to keepour computer ratio at the recommended state level (fewer than five students per onecomputer), every school does not have the same fundraising success, thus causinginequities among schools. The limited operating funds for hardware have been neededto lease teacher laptops. The operating budget of $150,000 for purchase of new hard-ware is earmarked to finish payments for the current lease for teacher laptop comput-ers until November 2009.

Instructional and technical staffing has also been maintained in order to provide“just-in-time” support for technology use. Although elementary library teachers werereduced at the mid-sized and smaller schools during FY’06, funding during the pasttwo years was allocated to restore some of these reductions.

Since the Newton School Department and School Committee have recognized theimportance of adequate funding for technology, the FY’08 budget included technologyas one of the four priority areas. With the approved increase of $350,000, the technolo-gy initiative is making additional improvements in infrastructure and staffing. Amanaged wireless network was installed in the four middle schools and a server willbe purchased to improve the data integration from our student management system(SMS Pearson/Chancery) to other school databases.

Instructional staffing for FY’08 included the addition of 1.0 FTE library teacher dis-tributed to schools with increasing enrollments, and a new .5 FTE Universal Designtechnology specialist to lead the effort of instituting universal design for learning(UDL) strategies throughout the district. The addition of one technician at the ele-mentary level and one network assistant provides better service to resolve hardwareand network issues.


Technology Research and PlanningA dedicated volunteer group of Newton teachers, administrators, and parents havebeen instrumental in the development of Newton Public Schools’ Three-YearTechnology Plan. In the fall of 2006, the Newton Public Schools Department ofInformation Technology invited community members and school staff to serve on theTechnology Advisory Committee (TAC) in an effort to join the interests and values ofthe community with the expertise of school department professionals. Six subcom-mittees (Computing Models, Emerging Technologies, Funding and Partnerships,Public Relations, Technology Integration, and Universal Design for Learning) metthroughout the year to investigate findings and develop recommendations to theSchool Department for the planning and implementation of technology in the schools.Under the direction of the TAC and Department of Information Technology, SunAssociates conducted an Instructional Technology Audit of the schools in spring 2007.(Final report is posted at http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/technology/TAC/news.html.)The findings and recommendations from the Tech Audit have been used in the devel-opment of this plan. During the 2007-08 school year, the TAC will continue advisingthe NPS with the implementation of a district-wide technology plan for twenty-oneschools.

Listed below are the key findings and recommendations presented in the June 2007final reports developed by each of the six subcommittees. These findings and recom-mendations are spelled out in extensive detail and can be found posted on the TACwebsite (http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Technology/TAC/index.html).


Key Findings from the Technology Advisory Spring 2007 Review1. (Emerging Technologies) Our students are expected to graduate with very dif-

ferent skills from ten years ago. Twenty-first century skills—problem-solving,thinking outside the box, collecting, analyzing and synthesizing informationfrom a variety of sources, and collaborating with others from very diversebackgrounds—are essential in order to compete in the STEM (Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professions.

2. (Technology Integration, Computing Models) The majority of the faculty has theinterest and expertise to use technology in the classroom as evidenced by themany exemplary projects that have been developed from the “bottom up.” Mosttechnology best practices are developed in “pockets,” rather than consistentlyby grade level or department. Curriculum leaders have described in detail whatteachers would like to do in the future; but Newton Public Schools’ technologyinfrastructure, including up-to-date hardware, software and staffing, are notrobust enough to support systemic replication of best practices.

3. (Universal Design) Universal Design for Learning (UDL) concepts and strate-gies are not well understood by the teaching staff. NPS does not have a currentplan for providing multiple means of representation, expression or engage-ment to give learners alternate ways to acquire and synthesize information.Assistive technologies are implemented for identified students, rather thanUDL principles implemented for all children.

4. (Funding) The technology initiative has been under-funded. The last fewyears the operating budget has provided the purchase of laptops for teacherproductivity and curriculum development. The purchase of student comput-ers and replacement depends largely on PTO funds and grants. This relianceon sources outside the operating budget means inequitable distribution ofresources. The current staffing to provide technical and instructional supportis also inadequate to provide timely support to the administrative and teachingstaff. DOE standards for technical staffing are 1 FTE per 200 computers and 1FTE per 60-120 instructional staff. Newton’s current understaffing means thatIT staff spends the majority of time firefighting rather than setting up newstructures for efficiency of operation. Without adequate instructional support,best instructional practices/projects that support teaching and learning areimplemented in “pockets” rather than across grade levels and disciplines.

5. (Emerging Technologies) In the past five years, the School Department hasfocused on building a robust infrastructure and standardization of computerhardware to minimize support costs. To sustain our mixed platform environ-ment (Windows and Mac OS), we have increasing need to investigate waysemerging technologies can improve software delivery and the development anddelivery of educational content. These new tools will be especially importantto support students in the interactive and collaborative environments of the21st century.


6. (All) The past five years professional development has been an important com-ponent of the technology initiative. In-depth and sustained professional devel-opment will continue to be an important aspect of technology use in order todisseminate best practices of technology across grade levels and departmentsin a systematic manner.

7. (Emerging Technologies, Public Relations) Communication with parents andthe community takes place in a variety of ways that often lead to duplicationof effort. Currently there is no authoritative source where faculty, parents,and community members can find timely information about the schools, bothadministratively and instructionally.


Key Recommendations from the Spring 2007 Review

1. The Newton Public Schools technology program needs to support theSTEM initiative and 21st century skills. Throughout the Commonwealthand at a national level, industry leaders have implored our educators to pro-vide students with not only the skills needed to master the basic literacy skillsbut also those “portable” skills of critical thinking, making connectionsbetween ideas and knowing how to continue learning.

2. Curriculum needs must be the driving force for technology integrationto be successful. Curriculum leaders need to partner with the instructionaltechnology staff and teachers to identify where technology makes the mostimpact on teaching and learning. Technology planning and implementationneeds to be incorporated into the design of curriculum units, not as an after-thought. New and emerging technologies, such as multi-user simulations androbotics, need to be considered as part of curriculum development in order tofoster student engagement.

3. Successful projects need to be sustained and disseminated using robustcollaborative tools. Teachers have developed best practices for integratingtechnology at various grade levels. NPS needs to “bring up the floor” of theavailable computing resources by providing up-to-date hardware, software, andnecessary peripherals in order to promote widespread use of technology bestpractices. NPS needs to support and implement collaborative tools, such ascourse management systems and web portals, in order to streamline the dis-semination and replication of these innovative practices.

4. Universal design for learning strategies needs to be identified andadopted district-wide to foster flexibility in presenting and using cur-riculum materials. In order to meet the diverse learning needs of our stu-dents, curriculum leaders and teachers need to develop and implement aprocess for providing textbooks and instructional materials in digital form.

5. Funding of the technology initiative must be increased through a vari-ety of avenues (not just the school operating budget), given the demandto prepare our students with the skills needed to compete in our globalsociety and economy. Providing the resources equitably among the 21schools is essential for the technology initiative to be sustained. Additionalfunding will also be crucial for implementing a yearly replacement cycle foraging computers.

6. Adopting and incorporating emerging technologies can provide NPSwith more efficient ways to collaborate and communicate. The ever-growing sophisticated tools for curriculum design and delivery offer us greatopportunities to improve teaching and learning. Improvements and new toolsneed to be adopted incrementally, while continuing to replicate already suc-


cessful technology integration practices. Before adopting new technologies,we need to consider carefully the total cost of ownership, including staffingand funding.

7. Sustained professional development for administrative and teachingstaff is crucial for successful implementation of technology use. Timeduring the teaching day is one of the most challenging roadblocks to providingextensive support to learning and implementing new programs and lessons,including ways to differentiate instruction using UDL strategies. NPS facultymust be trained and supported to deliver a curriculum that is technologicallysophisticated.

8. Improved communication about technology use in the schools and howit improves teaching and learning is needed. The Newton community isnot aware of successful integration projects already implemented in theschools. Newton needs to identify and implement a unified system capable ofsharing information, not only about the technology initiative, but also aboutthe variety of initiatives throughout the school district.

Next StepsDuring the summer of 2007, a Technology Planning Committee (see Appendix B) com-posed of administrators and teachers incorporated the recommendations of the TACsubcommittee reports to develop the first draft of the Three-Year Technology Plan forNewton Public Schools. In the fall of 2007, this draft was shared with the school com-munity for feedback and modification. During the 2007-2008 school year, the TAC con-solidated into project teams in order to advise and support the implementation of thedesignated projects outlined for Year One of the long-range technology plan.


VisionNewton Public Schools strive to insure that all students and staff are full participantsand responsible citizens in the information age of the 21st century. Our community oflearners works in an environment that maximizes the benefits of technologicalresources and tools. Through access to a robust technology infrastructure, timelyassistance, high quality professional development, and effective leadership, Newtonteachers and students access and use information in socially responsible ways to con-struct and communicate knowledge.


2008 – 2011 GoalsMeeting at the end of June 2007, a committee of fourteen (14) Newton Public Schoolteachers and administrators spent three days developing strategic goals and actionsfor Newton’s 2008 – 2011 Technology Plan. This work was informed by the TechnologyAdvisory Committee (TAC) subcommittee reports presented above (Current Status) aswell as by three days of planning facilitation from an outside consultant. The result ofthis work is the set of strategic goals presented below.

These goals are organized into the Key Areas listed in the Massachusetts STaR chart.(STaR chart can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/sac/edtech/star.html.) Theaction items and the progress indicators associated with each goal are detailed in thefollowing pages. While we anticipate that our action steps will change from year toyear in response to our annual evaluation (see Evaluation Plan), we expect that ourgoals and progress indicators will remain consistent over the three-year life of thisplan and will therefore guide the instructional technology strategy for Newton PublicSchools over the near-term future.

Teaching and LearningTL 1: Newton Public School teachers will integrate technology to enhance themodeling, demonstration, and exploration of key concepts into appropriate con-tent areas to engage students and deepen their learning experience. (STaR A, B, D)

TL 2: Newton Public School students will use technology in socially responsibleways to enhance productivity, communication, research, and collaboration and todemonstrate their understanding of curriculum concepts. (STaR C, D, E)

TL 3: Faculty will use technology to collect and analyze K-12 student data to differ-entiate and inform instruction. (STaR B)

TL 4: Faculty will use technology as a tool to enhance communication throughoutthe school and parent community. (STaR A)

Professional DevelopmentPD 1: The district will provide accessible professional development for teachers inthe use of technology to support 21st century student learning. (STaR F,G, H, I, J)

PD 2: The district will provide specialized technology-based professional develop-ment to learn subject area content. (STaR T)

InfrastructureIT 1: NPS will provide the hardware, software, peripherals, supplies, maintenanceand staffing to support equitably ongoing instructional and administrative needs.(STaR: Q, R, V)

IT 2: The district will provide robust connectivity and secure server access inevery classroom and workspace. (STaR S, T, U)


Administration and SupportSS 1: The district will promote a vision for technology that is focused on learningand achievement for all students and is representative of and supported by faculty,administrators, Superintendent, and School Committee. (STaR: L)

SS 2: The district will adopt leading practices to provide yearly funding sufficientto support the full and equitable implementation of the district-wide Three-YearTechnology Plan. The district will work to develop new sources of funding fortechnology-related initiatives and overall education. (STaR: M, N, O, P)


Evaluation Plan

OverviewEffective, formative evaluation is critical to the successful management of Newton’sInstructional Technology Program. While each of our plan’s Action Steps has a stateddesired outcome, simply reaching these outcomes will not ensure that we have beensuccessful in fully achieving the impact of our goals and hence our overall vision. Tomonitor this impact, we intend to measure our progress toward achieving our evalua-tion indicators for each goal. These indicators – like the goals they describe – overar-ch the individual action steps. These indicators describe in detailed word-pictureswhat it will essentially “look like” when the district has achieved each related goal.

It is not anticipated that the district will fully attain these indicators in one year, butrather that progress will be made toward reaching the full measure of the indicatorseach year. The point of the district’s technology evaluation plan will be to monitorthis progress through data collection and formative analysis of the resulting dataagainst the performance indicators. This review will in turn drive the creation ofupdated annual action plans for the district’s Instructional Technology Plan.

Oversight and Responsibility for EvaluationJust as it is the responsibility of the entire Newton Public Schools community toimplement the district’s Three-Year Technology Plan, it is also the responsibility ofthe entire community to monitor and evaluate the progress of implementing the plan.Evaluation will be overseen by the district’s Technology Steering Committee. ThisCommittee will be responsible for initiating an annual review of evaluation data andwill direct data collection efforts. Data will be collected at the building level inresponse to how goals have been implemented in each building. This data will then beaggregated to the district level and analyzed against the District InstructionalTechnology Plan performance indicators for assessment of how the district overall ismeeting its goals.

Data Collection and Analysis StrategiesSince formative evaluation is essential to our plan, we will collect data throughout theyear using multiple approaches. Data collection strategies will be varied and will col-lect qualitative as well as quantitative data. Strategies will include district-wide sur-veys of teachers, parents, administrators, and students; focus groups (teachers, par-ents, various administrator groups); interviews; and classroom observations. Thedevelopment and administration of these tools will be part of the ongoing work of theTechnology Steering Committee and various consultants, volunteers, and NewtonPublic Schools staff brought into the work over time.


Data collection will be driven by the evaluation indicators. As this plan gets under-way, the Committee will oversee the work of further developing the 11 indicators intomore-detailed benchmarked rubrics. These rubrics – organized as a set of perform-ance milestones – will drive the actual questions that we need to incorporate into ourdata collection tools. Then, as data is collected, we will formatively analyze our dataagainst the indicator rubrics so as to determine the degree to which our progressmeets our desired outcomes. This examination – both formative throughout the yearand summative via an annual report – will drive the creation of new annual actionplans for this plan.

ConclusionWhile this will be intensive work, it effectively models the types of authentic assess-ments that we routinely expect of our teachers as they engage students in the tasks oflearning and knowledge creation. Similarly, we expect that detailed, authentic descrip-tions of program performance will be effective drivers for building a broad-basedunderstanding of what we want to accomplish in our instructional technology plan.


Detailed Action Plans

Teaching and LearningTL 1: Newton Public School teachers will integrate technology to enhance themodeling, demonstration, and exploration of key concepts into appropriate con-tent areas to engage students and deepen their learning experience.

Evaluation Indicator for TL 1:Newton Public School teachers at all levels and in all content areas regularly integratetechnology within their instruction. Teachers have easy access to and readily use les-son plans and curriculum maps which are widely disseminated through the NewtonPublic Schools’ Instructional Technology website(http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Technology/it/index02.html). These materials arecontinuously reviewed and updated by curriculum coordinators, department chairs,and teachers.

Teachers use technology to model, demonstrate, explore, and illuminate concepts andhave a clear understanding of when to apply appropriate technology tools in any giveninstructional setting or content area. Teachers use technology to create and support astudent-centered learning environment. Technology is used to differentiate instruc-tion to meet the needs of all learners so they meet curriculum standards. New displaytechnologies, such as interactive whiteboards or portable graphics tablets, are used topresent information in dynamic and flexible formats to meet the multiple learningstyles of all students.



TL 2: Newton Public School students will use technology in socially responsibleways to enhance productivity, communication, research, and collaboration and todemonstrate their understanding of curriculum concepts.

Evaluation Indicator for TL2:Students regularly employ a wide range of new and emerging technologies to supportcollaborative learning mapped to curriculum content standards. They have access toand are able to select appropriate technology tools to access, analyze, and communi-cate information. All students demonstrate media literacy, and technology tools andresources are used in an ethical and socially responsible manner appropriate to theirgrade level. Across the district all students consistently exhibit, through assessments,the grade level skills and concepts indicated in the Newton Public Schools Library:Information Literacy and Technology Benchmarks, K-12 and the expandedInstructional Technology Benchmarks K-12. Students demonstrate their understand-ing of technology and its curricular value through their ability to use technology tofind and contribute relevant content into lesson plans.




TL 3: Faculty will use technology to collect and analyze K-12 student data to differ-entiate and inform instruction.

Evaluation Indicator for TL3:All Newton Public School teachers and administrators access and contribute to longi-tudinal data on individual students in order to provide insight on student academicstrengths and weaknesses. This database is secure, current, and includes data on stu-dent performance, learning plans, and other pertinent information. Teachers use thisdata to meet the instructional and learning needs of all students.


TL 4: Faculty will use technology as a tool to enhance communication throughoutthe school and parent community.

Evaluation Indicator for TL4:Newton Public School teachers and administrators utilize a variety of technologies tocommunicate efficiently and support the connection between home and school inaccordance with the Newton Public Schools email and Internet Acceptable UsePolicies (AUP). The district and school websites and other electronic communicationvehicles allow parents access to up-to-date information on district, classroom, andschool activities. Teachers in all buildings use web-based resources to extend thelearning environment beyond the physical walls of the classroom, enabling studentsto access resources, materials, and other information that relate to learning activities.Parents, teachers, and administrators share a common set of expectations around theadequacy and frequency of electronic communications.



Professional Development

PD 1: The district will provide accessible professional development for teachers inthe use of technology to support 21st century student learning.

Evaluation Indicator for PD 1:A culture of inquiry, sharing of best practices, and knowledge-building existsthroughout the district for the instructional use and integration of technology. Stafftraining is adequately funded and is available “just in time” through a variety ofdelivery systems focusing on modeling, mentoring, and other principles of high quali-ty professional development. Decisions related to offerings are data-driven and reflectevolving teacher needs. Technology professional development provides teachers andadministrators with the skills, confidence, UDL principles, and inspiration to support21st century student learning aligned with curriculum standards and technologybenchmarks.


PD 2: The district will provide specialized technology-based professional development to learn subject area content.

Evaluation Indicator for PD 2:The Newton Public Schools support teachers as they keep current in all subject areasand model life- long learning. Faculty use a variety of technologies – such as onlinecourses, online textbooks, multi-user simulations, and instructional DVDs – to partici-pate in training in subject area content to build and enhance the skills and curricu-lum-related knowledge needed by teachers at all levels.




InfrastructureIT 1: NPS will provide the hardware, software, peripherals, supplies, maintenance and staffing to support equitably ongoing instructional and administrative needs.

Evaluation Indicator for IT 1:Faculty has up-to-date computers, software, peripherals and adequate supplies toinstruct students effectively and fulfill administrative duties efficiently. Students haveaccess to computing resources in order to complete classroom assignments and devel-op the skills needed to compete in a global society. IT resources and services are dis-tributed in a manner that maintains equity among all the schools in the district.Newton Public Schools meets all of the Department of Education recommended LocalTechnology Planning guidelines for appropriate levels of hardware, software, andstaffing. The agreed-upon standards for hardware at each level (elementary, middle,and high) will be funded and maintained. (See Appendix A for working draft.)




IT 2: The district will provide robust connectivity and secure server access in every classroom and workspace.

Evaluation Indicator for IT 2:Students and faculty access and save documents and other related resources from anyschool location in a wired or wireless environment. Faculty is able to access docu-ments both within and outside of NPS.


Administration and SupportSS 1: The district will promote a vision for technology that is focused on learning and achievement for all students and is representative of and supported by faculty, administrators, Superintendent, and School Committee.

Evaluation Indicator for SS 1:Activities in all Newton classrooms reflect the shared vision for technology-embeddedinstruction in the service of improving student success. All schools have a technologyteam that assesses the progress of current technology use, identifies additional needsor areas of improvement, and reports its updated vision to the district Department ofInformation Technology. These reports along with the subcommittee work of theTechnology Advisory Committee (TAC) form the basis for the development of the NPSThree-Year Technology Plan.

Newton’s Technology Plan exists as a dynamic document, revised annually, with newactions and objectives set according to the recommendations of the formative evaluationprocess. This annual plan is communicated to the entire school and parent community.


SS 2: The district will adopt leading practices to provide yearly funding sufficient to support the full and equitable implementation of the district-wide Three-Year Technology Plan. The district will work to develop new sources of funding fortechnology-related initiatives and overall education.

Evaluation Indicator for SS 2:The Newton Public Schools Information Technology budget leverages a number offunding sources to support the full and equitable implementation of the TechnologyPlan. Aside from securing district funds adequate to fill basic needs, the districtworks closely with the Technology Advisory Committee to identify funding sources toaugment district funding. The district has adopted standard IT practices, such asportfolio management, as a way to insure that technology needs have been viewed andbudgeted in a broad and comprehensive manner.



Request for Funds, Year One (FY ’09)




*Teacher laptops provided to:Elementary--all classroom teachers, physical education, music, artMiddle--all classroom teachers, physical education, music, art, World Languages, ELLHigh--all classroom teachers and specialists

Appendix ADRAFT of standard configurations forclassrooms/school (by level), 12/07

Elementary Laptop for all classroom teachers,music, art, physical education, ELL,Learning Center teachers*1 up-to-date desktop computer and 4 lap-tops per classroom1 mobile cart of 18 wireless laptops per4 classrooms w/minimum of OS 10.31 LCD projector w/speakers on a cartper classroom**Software consistency and online sub-scriptions for each grade levelLibrary: • 13 student computers

(laptop or desktop)• 1 teacher laptop• 1 color laser printer• 1 projection unit• 1 digital camera4 digital cameras per school2 digital video cameras per school

* Other faculty (such as literacy spe-cialist, special education teachers,social workers, psychologist, and inclu-sion facilitators) would benefit from lap-top use if budget permits.

** Mounting of projectors should beconsidered if budget permits.

Middle SchoolLaptop for all classroom teachers, music,art, physical education, World Language,ELL, Learning Center teachers1 LCD projector w/speakers on a cartper classroom1 mobile cart of 15 laptops per teamwith printer

1 mobile cart of 30 laptops for WorldLanguageStationary labs: • 2 All Purpose Labs• Technology and Engineering LabLibrary floor:• Wireless computing capability for

students and teachers • 1 color laser printer• 27 desktop computers

(or combination desktop/laptop)• 1 durable, high-volume laser printer• TV with DVD/VCR player• 1 digital camera• 1 projection unit Library processing and administration:• 1 laptop computer for library teacher • 2 desktop computers for processing

and circulation• 1 color laser printer for library

publicationsSoftware consistency on all computersfor each grade level/discipline4 digital cameras per school3 digital video cameras per school

High School Laptop for all classroom teachers andspecialists1 mobile cart* (with power strip) of 20wireless laptops with printer per depart-ment (some dept have 2)1 LCD projector w/speakers per class-room (mounted at South, on cart forNorth) with VCR/DVD with tunerSoftware consistency on all computersfor each disciplineStationary labs: • World Language Lab• PC Business Lab• Mac Business Lab• CAD Lab• Graphic Design Lab• Visual Design Lab


• Math Lab• General classroom Lab (x2)Library classrooms (2):• 20 student use computers (either

laptops or desktops)• 1 teacher/presenter computer

(laptop preferable)• 1 mounted LCD projector w/speakers

and VCR/DVD tuner• 1 DVD/VCR player• 1 digital camera• 1 digital video camera• 1 electronic whiteboardLibrary floor/study rooms:• Wireless computing capability for

students and teachers• 40 desktop computers• 4 durable, high-volume laser printers

• TV with DVD/VCR playerLibrary processing and administration:• 3 desktop computers for librarians • 2 desktop computers for processing

and circulation• 1 desktop for monitoring Internet use• 1 desktop computer for multimedia

creation (iMovie, flash movies, podcasting, advanced web design, etc.)

• 1 laser printer• 1 color printer for library publications5 digital cameras per school5 digital video cameras per school1 MP3 digital recorder

*Carts come with lock, extension cord,and long ethernet cables as needed.


Newton Public Schools Instructional Technology Plan (2008-2011) 1

Appendix A - Revised for Year 2 (2009-2010) Standard Technology Configurations by Level Elementary

• Laptop for all classroom teachers, music, art, physical education, instructional technology, library, ELL, and learning center teachers*

• 1 up-to-date desktop computer and 5 laptops per classroom • 1 mobile cart of 18 wireless laptops per 4 classrooms w/minimum of OS 10.4 or

above • Suite of interactive tools (interactive board with LCD projector and software,

teacher tablet, and student response systems) for every classroom and large instructional space

• Software consistency and online subscriptions for each grade level • 4 digital cameras per school • 2 digital video cameras per school • Library: • 15 student computers w/minimum of OS 10.4 or above (laptop or desktop)

• 1 desktop for processing and circulation • 1 teacher laptop • 1 durable, high-volume laser printer • 1 color laser printer • 1 projection unit • 1 digital camera

Middle School

• Laptop for all classroom teachers, music, art, physical education, instructional technology, library, World Language, ELL, and learning center teachers*

• Suite of interactive tools (interactive board with LCD projector and software, teacher tablet, and student response systems) for every classroom and large instructional space

• 1 mobile cart of 15 laptops per team with printer • 1 mobile cart of 30 laptops for World Language • Software consistency on all computers for each grade level/discipline • 4 digital cameras per school • 3 digital video cameras per school • Stationary labs:

• 2 Multimedia Labs • Technology and Engineering Lab

• Library: • 1 durable, high-volume printer • 1 color laser printer • 1 desktop for processing and circulation • 27 student desktop computers (or combination desktop/laptop) • 2 desktop computers for processing and circulation • TV with DVD/VCR player • 1 digital camera

*Other faculty (such as literacy specialist, special education teachers, social workers, psychologist, and inclusion facilitators) would benefit from laptop use as budget permits. High School

• Laptop for all classroom teachers and specialists

Newton Public Schools Instructional Technology Plan (2011-2013) 2

• 1 mobile cart (with power strip) of 20 wireless laptops with printer per department (some dept have 2)


• Software consistency on all computers for each discipline • 5 digital cameras per school • 5 digital video cameras per school • Stationary labs:

• World Language Lab • PC Business Lab • Mac Business Lab • CAD Lab • Graphic Design Lab • Visual Design Lab • Math Lab • Music Lab • General classroom Lab (x2)

• Library classrooms (2): • 20 student use computers (either laptops or desktops) • 1 teacher/presenter computer (laptop preferable) • 1 DVD/VCR player • 1 digital camera • 1 digital video camera

• Library floor/study rooms: • 40 desktop computers • 4 durable, high-volume laser printers • TV with DVD/VCR player

• Library processing and administration: • 3 desktop computers for librarians • 2 desktop computers for processing and circulation • 1 desktop for monitoring Internet use • 1 desktop computer for multimedia creation (iMovie, flash movies, podcasting,

advanced web design, etc.) • 1 laser printer • 1 color printer for library publications

Optional: Document camera (ELMO) for classrooms at all levels

Newton Public Schools Instructional Technology Plan (2011-2013)

Appendix A- Revised for Year 3 (2010-2011) Standard Technology Configurations by Level Elementary

• Laptop for all classroom teachers, music, art, physical education, instructional technology, library, ELL, and learning center teachers*

• 1 up-to-date desktop computer per classroom • 5 laptops per classroom in grades 3-5 • 1 mobile cart of 18 wireless laptops per 4 classrooms w/minimum of OS 10.4 • Suite of interactive tools (interactive board with LCD projector and software,


• Software consistency and online subscriptions for each grade level • 4 digital cameras per school • 2 digital video cameras per school • Library:

• 15 student computers w/minimum of OS 10.4 (laptop or desktop) • 1 desktop for processing and circulation • 1 teacher laptop • 1 document camera • 1 durable, high-volume laser printer • 1 color laser printer • 1 interactive board with short-throw projector • 1 digital camera

Middle School

• Laptop for all classroom teachers, music, art, physical education, instructional technology, library, World Language, ELL, and learning center teachers*


• 1 mobile cart of 15 laptops per team with printer • 1 mobile cart of 30 laptops for World Language • Software consistency on all computers for each grade level/discipline • 4 digital cameras per school • 3 digital video cameras per school • Stationary labs:

• 2 Multimedia Labs • Technology and Engineering Lab

• Library: • 1 durable, high-volume printer • 1 color laser printer • 1 desktop for processing and circulation • 1 document camera • 27 student desktop computers (or combination desktop/laptop) • 1 interactive board with short-throw projector • TV with DVD/VCR player • 1 digital camera

*Other faculty (such as literacy specialist, special education teachers, social workers, psychologist, and inclusion facilitators) would benefit from laptop use as budget permits.

Newton Public Schools Instructional Technology Plan (2011-2013)

High School • Laptop for all classroom teachers and specialists • 1 mobile cart of 20 wireless laptops with printer per department (larger

departments have 2) • Suite of interactive tools (interactive board with LCD projector and software,


• Software consistency on all computers for each discipline • 5 digital cameras per school • 5 digital video cameras per school • Stationary labs:

• World Language Lab • PC Business Lab • Mac Business Lab • CAD Lab • Graphic Design Lab • Visual Design Lab • Math Lab • Music Lab • General classroom Lab (x2)

• Library classrooms (2): • 20 student use computers (either laptops or desktops) • 1 teacher/presenter computer (laptop preferable) • 1 interactive board with short-throw projector for each library classroom • 1 document camera for each classroom • 1 DVD/VCR player • 1 digital camera • 1 digital video camera

• Library floor/study rooms: • 40 desktop computers • 4 durable, high-volume laser printers • TV with DVD/VCR player

• Library processing and administration: • 3 desktop computers for librarians • 2 desktop computers for processing and circulation • 1 desktop for monitoring Internet use • 1 desktop computer for multimedia creation (iMovie, flash movies, podcasting,

advanced web design, etc.) • 1 laser printer • 1 color printer for library publications

Optional: Document camera (ELMO) for classrooms at all levels

Appendix B

Members of Technology PlanningTeam Format and first draft of Tech Plan,June 2007

ElementaryPamela Appleton Principal, Angier Elementary

Stephen GriffinPrincipal, Zervas Elementary

Stephen Kanode Grade 3, Franklin Elementary

Eileen KeaneGrade 1, Franklin Elementary

MiddleDiane MontvilleLibrary Teacher, Bigelow Middle

Steve FordSocial Studies Teacher, Day Middle

Monica CrowleySocial Studies Teacher, Day Middle

HighSteven RattendiMath Department Head, Newton South

Annette TateDepartment Head, Library, NewtonNorth

Amy WinstonScience Department Head, NewtonNorth

DistrictShelley ChamberlainDirector of Information Technology

Bob RainvilleManager of Information Systems

Steve SilvermanCoordinator of InstructionalTechnology, K-12

Chris SwerlingCoordinator of Libraries, K-12


Special thanks to Sun Associates (http://www.sun-associates.com) for leading theTechnology Planning Workshop in June 2007 and to the Newton Public Schoolsfaculty/community for the valuable feedback and suggestions to improve this workingdocument.

Appendix C

Glossary of TermsApplets - A program written in the Java[tm] programming language that can beincluded in an HTML page, much in the same way an image is included.http://java.sun.com/applets/

Blog - A web site with entries written in chronological order and commonly displayedin reverse chronological order. Though some authors argue that the word is not a com-bination of the words web and log, the terms blog, weblog, and web log are often usedinterchangeably. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add contentto a blog. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

BRIM - The Breaking Ranks II™ (BRII) and Breaking Ranks in the Middle™ (BRIM)processes employ comprehensive, research based strategies that emphasize coachingand on-going professional development to improve teaching and learning in individualschools and classrooms. They incorporate a series of services that address the school'scomprehensive level of readiness to implement Breaking Ranks II and BreakingRanks in the Middle. Both Breaking Ranks processes focus on a three-tiered approachto carrying out school reform. Activities, programs, and processes fall under the threecore areas of Breaking Ranks: Collaborative Leadership and Professional LearningCommunities, Personalizing the School Environment, and Making Learning Personalthrough Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment.http://www.cssr.us/BR%20processes.htm

Course Management System (CMS) - Also known as a virtual learning environment(VLE), is a software system designed to help teachers by facilitating the managementof educational courses for their students, especially by helping teachers and learnerswith course administration. The system can often track the learners' progress, whichcan be monitored by both teachers and learners. While frequently thought of as pri-marily tools for distance education, they are most often used to supplement the face-to-face classroom.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_learning_environment

Data Warehousing - A data warehouse is "a copy of transaction data specificallystructured for query and analysis." (Definition by Ralph Kimball) http://www.intranetjournal.com/features/datawarehousing.html

The Massachusetts Department of Education, for example, is hosting “a pilot projectintended to explore the feasibility of offering a single, statewide data warehousing andreporting system to the Commonwealth's public districts and schools. Its long-term goalis to provide every district and school with the ability to query and analyze their organi-zation's state-maintained data (SIMS, MCAS, MEPA, and eventually Educator data) easi-ly, and to provide districts with the option to load and analyze their own data.”http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/dw/


LIFT2 - Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology is an innovative profes-sional learning program for middle and high school science, technology, engineeringand math (STEM) teachers. It is designed to help experienced and developing teachersrelate classroom curriculum to authentic and relevant applications in the 21st centuryworkplace. The program is based on a unique combination of graduate coursework,company sponsored externships in industry, the cornerstone of the program, andmembership in an active community of learners.http://www.lift2.org/

MINDSTORMS – A line of LEGO sets combining programmable bricks with electricmotors, sensors, LEGO bricks, and LEGO Technic pieces (such as gears, axles, beams,and pneumatic parts) to build robots and other automated or interactive systems.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms

Moodle - A course management system (CMS) that is a free Open Source softwarepackage designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effec-tive online learning communities.http://moodle.org/

MUVE - MUVE stands for multi-user virtual environment and refers to online, multi-user virtual environments, sometimes called virtual worlds.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUVE

Podcast - A digital media file, or a related collection of such files, which is distributedover the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players andpersonal computers. The term, like "radio," can refer either to the content itself or tothe method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed “podcasting.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting

ROBOLAB™ Software - Provides basic, intermediate, and advanced programmingtechniques including data logging for using the RCX controller in the LEGO MIND-STORMS kit. The program is icon-based language, which means that youngsters canvisualize the instructions they are stringing together for their robot.http://www.lego.com/eng/education/mindstorms/home.asp?pagename=robolab

Software-as-a-Service -A software application delivery model where a software vendordevelops a web-native software application and hosts and operates (either independ-ently or through a third-party) the application for use by its customers over theInternet. Customers do not pay for owning the software itself but rather for using it.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_as_a_Service

STaR Chart - The Massachusetts School Technology and Readiness Chart providesguidance to technology planning by offering a common set of goals. The chart has keyareas that include focus areas and levels of progress.http://www.doe.mass.edu/edtech/planning.html


STEM Initiative - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are thefour disciplines, referred to in the STEM Pipeline. The challenge remains that cur-rently, and in the foreseeable future, Massachusetts is not graduating enough studentsto fill the open STEM workforce positions. In order to meet this challenge thePipeline’s purpose is to:

• increase the number of Massachusetts students who participate in programs thatsupport careers in fields related to mathematics, science, technology, and engineer-ing;

• increase the number of qualified mathematics, technology, engineering, and scienceteachers in the Commonwealth; and

• improve the mathematics, technology, engineering, and science educational offer-ings available in public and private schools.http://www.massachusetts.edu/stem/programs.html

Universal Design for Learning - Provides a blueprint for creating flexible goals,methods, materials, and assessments that accommodate learner differences. UDL prin-ciples help educators customize their teaching for individual differences. A universal-ly designed curriculum offers the following:

• multiple means of representation to give learners various ways of acquiring infor-mation and knowledge

• multiple means of expression to provide learners alternatives for demonstratingwhat they know, and

• multiple means of engagement to tap into learners' interests, challenge them appro-priately, and motivate them to learn.http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html

Web 2.0 - A perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted servic-es — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which aim to facilitatesharing between users. The term became popular following the first O'Reilly MediaWeb 2.0 conference in 2004.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2

Wiki - Computer software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily.Wikis are often used to create collaborative web sites and power community web sites.They are increasingly being installed by businesses to provide affordable and effectiveIntranets or for use in Knowledge Management. Ward Cunningham, developer of thefirst wiki, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database thatcould possibly work." One of the best-known wikis is Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki


Appendix D

Information Technology Organization Chart


Shelley ChamberlainDirector of

Information Technology1.0 Non-A

Robert RainvilleManager of

Information Systems 1.0 Non-A

Administrative Technology Help/Support

Nancy CoxallHelp Desk Specialist 1.0 NESA

Chris MillsTechnology Support Specialist 1.0 NTA

John McLaughlinTechnology Support Specialist 1.0 NTA

Marcia FinneganTechnology Support Specialist 1.0 NTA

Sam MayanjaNetwork Specialist 1.0 NTA

Joe LaMarcaNetwork Specialist 1.0 NTA

Jack PolnarData Management Specialist 1.0 NTA

John SaiaNetwork Support Specialist 1.0 NTA

Tony SbordoneBusiness Information Specialist 1.0 NTA

Brian McCarthyAdministrative Information Specialist 1.0 NTA

Kevin DolanInformation Support Specialist 1.0 NTA

Greg Poulas/South HighStudent Information Specialist 1.0 NTA

Phil Golando/North HighStudent Information Specialist 1.0 NTA

Chris SwerlingCoordinator of

Library/Media Services .6 NTA

22.3 Librarians (K-12) NTA

Marc RichmondWeb Facilitator

1.0 NTA

Middle School Technical Assistants

3.04 NTAHigh School

Computer Aide-N/S .8 NTA

Susan LuchetteExecutive Assistant

1.0 NESA

Instructional Technology Specialists

Steve SilvermanCoordinator of IT 1.0 NTA

Diana FreedmanBrenda Doucette

Lauren DietzMary Manning Trish KelleherAnn Ritchie

4.8 NTA

Middle School IT Specialists Missy CostelloRobyn EatonRosa SterkTim Teelin4.0 NTA

High School IT Specialists

Eileen KestenbaumChris Murphy

2.0 NTA

Information Technology Organization Chart, 2009- 2010 Appendix D Revised

Newton Public Schools

Library Teachers (K-12)

23.1

Administrative Technology Group

Data Base Management

Kevin Dolan 1.0

Bobbi Gerlits 1.0 Brian McCarthy 1.0

Jack Polnar 1.0

Tony Sbordone 1.0

Network & Server Operations

Joe LaMarca 1.0

Sam Mayanja 1.0 John Saia 1.0

Tech Assist Help Desk

Nancy Coxall 1.0 Marcia Finnegan 1.0

Susan Lum .514

John McLaughlin 1.0 Chris Mills 1.0

High School Tech Support Phil Golando (North) 1.0 Greg Poulos (South) 1.0


Elementary

Lauren Dietz (Bowen, H.M., Zervas) 1.0 Diana Freedman (Williams) .2

Trish Kelleher (Franklin) .4

Mary Manning (Countryside, M.R., Ward) 1.0 Ann Ritchie (Lincoln-Eliot) .2

Jen Toran (Burr, Mem Sp, Underwood) 1.0

Lisa Vancans (Angier, Cabot, Peirce) 1.0

Middle School

Brenda Doucette (Day) 1.0

Robyn Eaton (Brown) 1.0

Rosa Sterk (Oak Hill) 1.0 Sean Sweeney (Bigelow) 1.0

High School

Karen Clay (UDL, North/South) .5 Brian Hammel (South) .4

Chris Murphy (North) .8

Margery Waldron (South) .4

Carol Stockdale Executive Assistant

1.0

Robert Rainville Manager of Information Systems

1.0

Chris Swerling Coordinator of

Library / Media Services .6

Jessica Duval

Web Facilitator

1.0


2.0

High School Computer Aides .6

Missy Costello Coordinator of IT

1.0

Marc Richmond

Online Learning

1.0

Shelley Chamberlain Director of Information Technology

1.0

Information Technology Organization Chart, 2011 Appendix D Newton Public Schools

Library Teachers (K-12) 22.6

Administrative Technology Group

Data Base Management

Kevin Dolan 1.0 Bobbi Gerlits 1.0

Brian McCarthy 1.0 Jack Polnar 1.0

Tony Sbordone 1.0

Network & Server Operations Joe LaMarca 1.0 Sam Mayanja 1.0

John Saia 1.0

Tech Assist Help Desk Nancy Coxall 1.0

Marcia Finnegan 1.0 Susan Lum .514

John McLaughlin 1.0 Chris Mills 1.0

High School Tech Support Phil Golando (North) 1.0

Jonathan Atkins (South) 1.0


Elementary Lauren Dietz (Bowen, H.M., Zervas) 1.0

Diana Freedman (Angier) .2 Patti Karam (HM) .05

Eileen Keane (Burr, Mem Sp, Underwood) 1.0 Trish Kelleher (Franklin, Williams) .7

Jamie Lightfoot (Peirce) .4 Mary Manning (Countryside, M.R., Ward) 1.0

Ann Ritchie (Lincoln-Eliot) .2 Jen Reed (Cabot) .4

Middle School

Brenda Doucette (Day) 1.0 Robyn Eaton (Brown) 1.0 Rosa Sterk (Oak Hill) 1.0

Sean Sweeney (Bigelow) 1.0

High School Karen Clay (UDL, North/South) .5

Brian Hammel (South) .8 Chris Murphy (North) .8

Shelley Chamberlain Steve Silverman

Director of Information Technology 1.0

Carol Stockdale Executive Assistant

1.0

Robert Rainville Manager of Information Systems

1.0

Chris Swerling Coordinator of

Library / Media Services .6

Jessica Rudden Web Facilitator

1.0


Thomas Buchau (Brown, Oak Hill) Karen Davison (Bigelow, Day)

2.0

Missy Costello Coordinator of IT

1.0

Marc Richmond Online Learning

1.0

Appendix E

UPDATED 2009-2010

DETAILED ACTION PLANS

FUNDED REQUESTS

56

Detailed Action Plans Revised for 2009-2010

Teaching and Learning

TL 1: Newton Public School teachers will integrate technology to enhance the modeling,

demonstration, and exploration of key concepts into appropriate content areas to engage students

and deepen their learning experience.

Action Steps 2009 - 2010

Action Person Responsible Expected Focus of this

Action Step

Timeline

Agree upon K-5 focal points for

technology integration by grade level

and/or subject area for math, science,

social studies and language arts.

Executive Director for

Instructional Programs,

curriculum

coordinators K-8,

Coordinator of Ed

Tech,

ITS, principals,

teachers

Software to support

curriculum integration is

identified.

Oct. 09-Feb. 2010

Using agreed-upon integrated focal

points, develop subject specific

lessons/units that integrate technology.

Curriculum

coordinators K-8, ITS,

library and classroom

teachers

Teams of teachers

develop and pilot sample

technology-based

lessons/units for the

agreed-upon disciplines.

March -Aug. 2010

Disseminate and promote the ongoing

development of the technology-

enhanced lessons tied to selected focus

areas.

Curriculum

coordinators,

Coordinator of Ed

Technology K-8, Tech

Coordinator, ITS,

library teachers

Exemplary technology-

enhanced lessons that

support the curriculum

are shared via the

Instructional Technology

Web Site of Best

Practices and accessible

to all K-8 teachers.

March -Aug. 2010

Expand the current K-8 Technology

Benchmarks to include 9-12.

Coordinator of Ed

Technology, ITS,

dept. heads 9-12,

library teachers,

classroom teachers

Technology benchmarks

for high school are

developed for designated

disciplines.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Incorporate K-8 benchmarks into the

development of technology- infused

lessons.

Coordinator of Ed

Technology, ITS,

library teachers,

classroom teachers

Lessons are shared via

the Instructional

Technology Web Site of

Best Practices and

accessible to all K-8

teachers.

Nov. 09-June 2010

Develop performance assessments K-8

to reflect student mastery of

technology benchmarks.

Coordinator of Ed

Technology, ITS,

library teachers,

classroom teachers

Assessments are used to

evaluate student skill

level of technology use.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Set up and implement pilot of 21st

century demonstration teacher team at

Bigelow Middle School.

Curriculum

coordinators K-8,

Coordinator of Ed

Technology, ITS,

library teachers, 6th

grade Team A

Exemplary best practices

involving use of

interactive tools and

netbooks are shared

widely across district,

along with a plan for 21st

Century Classroom to be

expanded in the district.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Evaluate 21st century classroom at

Bigelow.

Coordinator of Ed

Technology, middle

school ITS, Curriculum

Coordinators, 6th

grade

teachers in conjuction

with BC research

project.

Pilot is part of a research

project with Boston

College inTASC group at

the Lynch School of Ed.

Sept. 09-June 2010

TL 2: Newton Public School students will use technology in socially responsible ways to enhance

productivity, communication, research, and collaboration and to demonstrate their understanding

of curriculum concepts.


Action Person

Responsible

Expected Focus of this Action Step Timeline

Incorporate fair

use/copyright

guidelines into

lesson

development.

ITS, library

teachers,

classroom

teachers,

administrators

Resources

(http://www.newton.k12.ma.us./NSHS/Library/C

opyrightNPS/index.htm) for fair use/copyright

will be made available for teachers and students

as a reference.

Sept. 09-Jan. 2010

All Newton

employees are

informed about the

following district

policies: Web

Publishing Policy,

Student Acceptable

Use Policy,

Employee

Acceptable Use

Policy, and

Confidentiality

Policy.

ITS, library

teachers, regular

classroom

teachers,

administrators

All policies are available within HR Policies and

Procedures Conference. Newly revised

guidelines for AUP will be made available for

classroom display and incorporated into lessons.

Sept. 09-Jan. 2010

Refine and

implement cyber-

safety lessons.

ITS, library

teachers,

classroom teachers

Lessons are taught in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Expand to 7-9 throughout the district.

Oct. 09-Feb. 2010

Improve

accessibility to

instructional

materials for all

students by

promoting

Universal Design

for Learning

(UDL) principles

in lesson design

and

implementation at

the secondary

level.

Executive Director

for Instructional

Programs,

curriculum

coordinators K-8,

dept. heads 9-12,

Director of IT,

Coordinator of Ed

Technology,

Universal Design

Tech Specialist

Text-to-speech software (e.g. Kurweil 3000 or

SOLO) is the first item for a UDL toolkit to be

purchased for both high schools. The toolkit

includes a variety of resources that are readily

available to classroom teachers.

Sept. 09-June 2010

TL 3: Faculty will use technology to collect and analyze K-12 student data to differentiate and

inform instruction.

Action Steps 2009-2010

Action Person

Responsible

Expected Focus of this

Action Step

Timeline

Plan for and

implement a process

of locating student

data (data audit) in

major academic K-

12 areas to track and

analyze student

achievement.

Executive Director

for Instructional

Programs, Data and

Assessment

Specialist for C&I,

Program Evaluation

Specialist, Director

of IT, Manager of

Info Systems,

District Assessment

Team

All testing data is located in

one area.

Sept. 09-Dec. 09

Plan for and

implement process

of entering local data

into the DESE Data

Warehouse

Data and Assessment

Specialist for C&I,

Program Evaluation

Specialist, Director

of IT, Manager of

Info Systems

Agreed upon local student

assessments will be available

in the DESE warehouse to

provide informed decision-

making.

Jan. 2010-Feb.

2010

Begin training for

use of DESE data

warehouse.

Program Evaluation

Specialist

Key administrators on

district data team will be

trained on use of DESE Data

Warehouse.

March 2010-June

2010.

TL 4: Faculty will use technology as a tool to enhance communication throughout the school

and parent community.


Action Person

Responsible


Action Step

Timeline

Continue to expand

use of technology as a

primary mode of

faculty communication

in support of curricular

work.

Teachers,

principals,

curriculum

coordinators,

dept. heads

Teachers and

administrators routinely

use FirstClass email and

conferences to share

information including

projects and lessons.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Continue to develop

our online course

management system

(Moodle) to improve

school-home

communication at

secondary level.

Tech

Coordinator, ITS,

library teacher,

ITS for Online

Learning,

classroom

teachers

Teachers develop online

courses to supplement and

extend lessons taught

during the school day.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Begin to develop our

online course

management system

(Moodle) to improve

school-home

communication at

elementary level.

Tech

Coordinator, ITS,

library teacher,

ITS for Online

Learning,

classroom

teachers

Teachers will begin to

develop online courses to

supplement and extend

lessons taught during the

school day.

March 2010-June

2010

Continue to develop

the use of Web 2.0

collaboration tools (i.e.

blogs, wikis, and

podcasts) to improve

delivery of instruction

and to foster

communication.

Tech

Coordinator, ITS,

library teacher,

Web Facilitator,

ITS for Online

Learning,

classroom

teachers

Revised AUP guidelines

incorporate procedures and

rules to inform teachers in

curriculum-related uses of

Web 2.0 tools.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Continue to develop

and maintain school

and classroom web

sites for improved

communication with

the Newton

community.

Teachers, ITS,

library teachers,

principals, Web

Facilitator

Every school has an up-to-

date web site. Newton

teachers create web sites to

provide timely information

about school and

classroom activities.

Oct. 09-June 2010

Investigate feasibility

and implementation

Director of IT,

Coordinator of

All 21 schools use

“agreed-upon” features and

Jan.2010-June 2010

issues of parent portal

to improve

school/home

communication.

IT, Manager of

IT, principals,

teachers

design of a parent portal.

Implement content

management software

to improve consistent

web site creation and

management.

Director of IT,

Coordinator of

IT, Manager of

IT, Web

Facilitator

The district has well-

organized and manageable

web site that

communicates important

information to the

community.

Nov. 09-June 2010



PD 1: The district will provide accessible professional development for teachers in the use of

technology to support 21st century student learning.


Action Person

Responsible


Continue to

provide district-

wide workshops

on using

technology in

accordance with

software and

online resources

outlined in grade-

level curriculum

focus points,

student technology

benchmarks, and

NPS strategic

planning student

objectives.

Curriculum

coordinators K-

8, high school

dept. heads,

ITS, library

teachers

Technology workshops (face-to-face and online) will

be offered throughout the year during designated staff

meetings and professional development release times

to meet the curriculum needs of Newton staff.

Nov. 09-June

2010

Provide training

for effective use of

interactive display

tools (such as

interactive boards,

tablets and student

response systems)

that are being

piloted in various

classrooms

throughout the

City.

Coordinator of

Ed

Technology,

ITS

Teachers will develop lessons to effectively review or

teach new concepts as well as archive daily lessons.

Using the student response systems, teachers will be

able to use formative assessment to inform their

instructional practices.

District will make final decision on the interactive

suite of tools that will be a critical component of the

21st century classroom.

Sept. 09-June

2010

Provide training

for effective use of

student netbook

tools (such as

interactive boards,

tablets and student

response systems)

that are being

piloted at Bigelow

as part of the 21st

Coordinator of

Ed

Technology,

middle school

ITS, middle

school library

teachers

6th

Grade Bigelow team will collaboratively create

interdisciplinary lessons that incorporate technology

benchmarks and 21st century skills. The full-year pilot

will help the district make a final decision whether the

use of student netbooks improves instruction and

student learning. (Evaluation in partnership with

inTASC as Boston College.)

Sept. 09-June

2010

Century

Demonstration

Team.

Continue to

partner with the

Metro/West LIFT2

(Leadership

Initiatives for

Teaching and

Technology)

teacher

professional

development

focused on

improving student

awareness and

interest in STEM

curriculum and

careers.

(http://www.lift2.

org/)

Executive

Director for

Instructional

Programs,

math/science

curriculum

coordinators K-

8, math/science

dept. heads 9-

12, Director of

IT, secondary

math/science

teachers

Three secondary math/science teachers will participate

in LIFT2 and develop student lessons based on

methodology learned in the program.

Feb. 2010-June

2010

Provide graduate

level courses for

integrating

technology into

the curriculum to

improve teaching

and learning.

Tech

Coordinator,

ITS

Interested teachers will participate in technology

graduate level courses on-site offered through

Framingham State College.

Oct. 09-May

2010

Develop and

maintain a

process/structure

for identifying and

communicating

best practices in

integrating

technology into

the curriculum.

Coordinator of

Ed

Technology,

curriculum

coordinators K-

8, dept. heads

9-12, principals

Teachers regularly refer to and incorporate

lessons/projects available on the Instructional

Technology Web Site of Best Practices.

(http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Technology/it/index02

.html)

Oct. 09-June

2010

PD 2: The district will provide specialized technology-based professional development to learn

subject area content.


Action Step Person

Responsible


Action Step

Timeline

Continue the Saturday

STEM Academy for high

school students to

encourage the student

Director of IT,

high school

principals,

math/science dept.

Newton grade-9 METCO

students are recruited and

selected to begin Saturday

classes at the Academy

Sept. 09-June 2010

participation in the math

and sciences. (Academy

funded through

MetroWest Regional

Employment Board)

heads 9-12, high

school teachers

starting October 2009,

using a curriculum and

program developed in

conjunction with Olin

College faculty and

MetroWest.

Implement the Partnership

for Online Professional

Development (POPD)

DOE Newton/Cambridge

grant (2009-2010) to

provide training for

English/LA teachers on

use of Web 2.0 tools to

improve writing.

Director of IT,

English/ELL K-8

curriculum

coordinators, dept.

heads 9-12,

designated ELA

teachers

Teachers create technology-

enhanced lessons that

incorporate Web 2.0 tools

to improve the instruction

of writing.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Continue to identify areas

of the curriculum that

would benefit from the use

of an online course

management system (e.g.

Moodle) for teacher

professional development.

Executive Director

for C&I, Tech

Coordinator,

middle school ITS,

curriculum

coordinators K-8,

dept. heads 9-12,

ITS for Online

Learning

Courses are developed for

teacher professional

development that support

the agreed-upon curricular

area best served with online

course management.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Continue to identify key

areas of the curriculum

that would benefit from

the use of an online course


Moodle) with secondary

students.

Executive Director

for C&I, Tech

Coordinator,

Secondary ITS,

curriculum

coordinators K-8,

Dept. Heads 9-12,

ITS for Online

Learning

Continue to develop online

courses to enhance

supplement daily lessons

with students at the

secondary school level.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Begin to identify key areas

of the curriculum that

would benefit from the use

of an online course


Moodle) with elementary

students.

Executive Director

for C&I, Tech

Coordinator,

Elementary ITS,

curriculum

coordinators K-8, ,

ITS for Online

Learning

Begin to develop online

courses to

enhance/supplement daily

lessons with students at the

elementary school level.

March 2010-June

2010

Continue to offer “just-in-

time” training and

workshops to support use

of teacher laptop for

productivity tasks.

Tech Coordinator,

ITS, library

teachers

Teachers use laptops for

administrative tasks

(grading, attendance) and to

enhance efficiency. Special

focus will be on new

grading program,

PowerTeacher

Sept. 09-May 2010


Infrastructure

IT 1: NPS will provide the hardware, software, peripherals, supplies, maintenance and

staffing to support equitably ongoing instructional and administrative needs.


Action Person

Responsible


Action Step

Timeline

Refine and test out,

with stakeholder input,

specifications for a

standard classroom at

each level that contains

a baseline complement

of hardware, software,

and peripheral

equipment (i.e.

teacher/student

computing, projection

devices, probes, digital

camera, interactive

tools, and shared

printers).

Director of IT,

Coordinator of

Ed Tech, Library

Coordinator,

Manager of

Information

Systems, ITS,

and teachers

Further develop the SILC

classroom model for the

elementary level and the

Bigelow 21st Century

Classroom Pilot for secondary

level to determine feasibility

throughout the district.

Aug. 09-June

2010

Continue to review and

revise the specifications

of IT equipment and

software to ensure that

Universal Design

principles (UDL) are in

compliance with

Section 508 of the

IDEA.

Coordinator of

Ed Tech, ITS,

Universal Design

Tech Specialist

All hardware, software, and

peripherals are purchased in

accordance with universal

design principles.

Aug. 09-June

2010

Evaluate the cloud

computing model for

student computer use to

improve instructional

practice.

Tech

Coordinator,

Manager of

Information

Systems, ITS,

Bigelow pilot

teachers

Assess the efficacy of using

cloud computing with the 21st

Century Classroom Pilot at

Bigelow.

Feb. 2010-June

2010

Continue to promote a

hardware replacement

plan to replace 15% of

existing inventory

annually (admin and

student use).

Director of IT,

Coordinator of

Ed Technology,

Manager of

Information

Systems

Students have up-to-date

hardware capable of supporting

current applications and online

resources.

Nov. 09-March

2010

Continue to promote a

hardware replacement

plan for teacher laptops

to replace 20% of

existing inventory

annually.

Director of IT,

Coordinator of

Ed Technology,

Manager of

Information

Systems

Teachers have up-to-date

hardware capable of supporting

curriculum and administrative

needs.

Nov. 09-March

2010

Continue to assess the

1-1 computing model to

provide middle school

students with just-in-

time access to digital

tools.

Director of IT,

Tech

Coordinator,

Manager of

Information

Systems, ITS,

Bigelow pilot

teachers

A pilot 21st Century Classroom

is being implemented at

Bigelow to test and evaluate

the benefits of digital

interactive tools and 1-1

computing with netbooks.

Sept. 09-June

2010

Continue to support, as

component of the K-8

curriculum coordination

project, a standard

complement of software

at each grade level and

discipline, K-8.

Coordinator of

Ed Technology,

ITS, library

teachers,

curriculum

coordinators K-8,

classroom

teachers

coordinators K-8,

classroom

teachers

Assess the success of Fastt

Math at grade 3 (to be extended

to grades 4-5), Read Naturally

at grades 3-8, Type to Learn,

grades 3-5, and Gizmos for 6-8

science.

Oct. 09-June

2010

Explore alternatives for

establishing an

instructional software

purchase and use across

the district.

Coordinator of

Ed Technology,

Coordinator of

Libraries

Develop a software inventory

model at the K-8 level to track

software licenses and ensure

maintenance and upgrades are

done in a timely fashion.

Feb. 2010-June

2010

Request an increase in

library coordination (.2

FTE) as part of the

FY’11 budget request.

Director of IT Coordinator of Library is

increased to 4 days per week in

order to provide mentoring for

new staff and to implement

mapping of library benchmarks

with standard classroom

curriculum.

Nov. 09-March

2010

*Draft of standard classroom, see Appendix A

IT 2: The district will continue to improve centralized services that are distributed

throughout the district.


Action Person

Responsible


Action Step

Timeline

Complete the

implementation of

Cisco managed

wireless throughout

the district.

Manager of IT,

network

specialists

Configure and implement

Cisco managed wireless

technology in the new

Newton North building

(opening Sept. 2010)

Jan. 2010-Aug. 2010

Continue the

implementation of

SIF (School

Interoperability

Framework)

technology

throughout the

district.

Manager of IT,

network

specialists

Extend the

synchronization of student

data across additional

server systems. Candidate

applications are SNAP

(tracking for student

medical issues), LunchBox

(cafeteria point of sales),

and Destiny (library

automation).

Sept. 09-June 2010

View only access to

library automation

system (Destiny)

from home.

Coordinator of

Libraries, network

specialist, library

teacher

All K-12 students and staff

view catalog from any

Internet connection.

Sept. 09-Dec. 09

Implement email

retention

methodology across

the district.

Manager of IT,

network

specialists

All incoming and outgoing

email messages will be

archived and retained to

comply with public record

guidelines.

Sept. 09-Dec. 09

Pilot use of

electronic grade

book software

(PowerTeacher)

that integrates with

our student

management

system (Pearson

SMS)

Manager of IT,

Data specialists,

ITS

Early adopters will have

the opportunity to use the

new system and assess its

benefits to the teaching

staff at large.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Explore alternatives

for implementation

of a parent portal

for use in the

district.

Director of IT,

Coordinator of Ed

Technology,

Manager of IT,

network

specialist,

Instructional Tech

Specialists

Pilot Pearson’s

ParentConnect portal

which integrates directly

with SMS and the

PowerTeacher grade book.


Administration and Support

SS 1: The district will promote a vision for technology that is focused on learning and

achievement for all students and is representative of and supported by faculty,

administrators, Superintendent, and School Committee.


Action Person

Responsible


Action Step

Timeline

Continue to promote

and support

technology

committees at all

levels to coordinate

technology

initiatives, explore

funding alternatives,

and implement

programs within the

framework of the

district plan.

Chair of School

Tech

Committees, ITS

School-based initiatives at

secondary level are better

informed and are able to

align school-based initiatives

with the district technology

plan.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Continue the work of

the Technology

Advisory Committee

with a more targeted

focus.

Director of IT Refocus the work of the

Technology Advisory

Committee (TAC) to

specific projects that require

additional research and

testing in order to leverage

their span of expertise and

experience.

Sept. 09-2010

Communicate to all

constituents the

initiatives of the

Newton Public

School’s Three-Year

Technology Plan.

Director of IT Results of input and

recommendations from

school tech committees and

TAC are publicized across

the district and with the

broader NPS community.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Establish a Virtual

Learning Task Force.

SS 2: The district will adopt leading practices to provide yearly funding sufficient to

support the full and equitable implementation of the district-wide Three-Year Technology

Plan. The district will work to develop new sources of funding for technology-related

initiatives and overall education.

Year 1 Action Steps 2009-2010

Action Person

Responsible

Expected Result of this

Action Step

Timeline

Continue to investigate

alternative ways for

funding the necessary

hardware, peripherals

(interactive tools,

projection devices,

digital cameras, etc.)

and software.

Director of IT Through a variety of

funding sources, up-to-

date hardware, software

and peripherals are more

readily available to

improve instruction across

the district.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Work with Newton

Schools Foundation

(NSF) to fund the 21st

Century Classroom.

Director of IT,

Coordinator of

Instructional

Technology

Strategic plan & processes

to develop new funding

sources, including a

strategy for tapping

volunteers. Funding

sources are identified and

prioritized.

Jan. 08-June 08

Continue to leverage

use of federal e-Rate

funds to improve and

expand NPS network

infrastructure.

Manager of

Information

Systems,

network

specialists

Newton South will have

managed wireless

throughout the campus.

Sept. 09-June 2010

Newton Public Schools Tech Plan Update July 2009

Newton Public Schools-Year 2 (FY’10) Increased Funding for Technology Initiatives End of Year Additional Funds for Year 2, June 2009

Item Key Area Details Amount Comments NAC appliance Infrastructure/Hardware District device $48,709 Analyze and control

all devices coming into the school system network in order to be adequately protected from security threats

Balance Loader Infrastructure/Hardware District device $9,962 Distribute equitably computer workload requests of our customers across multiple servers

New servers Infrastructure/Hardware 4 middle schools

$10,743 Replace 8 year old servers

Life cycle replacement cycle for teacher laptops at Newton North with software, K-12

Infrastructure/Hardware 200 computers with maintenance contract

$179,993 MacBooks funded with FY’09 funds; server/software with FY’10 funds

Life cycle replacement cycle for student computers

Infrastructure/Hardware 28 computers with software

$26,327 Replace 8 year old computer science lab at South High

Subtotal: 275,734 Approved Increased Funding for Year Two (FY ’10)

Item Key Area Details Amount Comments Life cycle replacement for teacher computers with software, K-12

Infrastructure/Hardware Servers and software for North Laptops

$38,000 Software/peripherals from FY’10 budget for North laptops

Life cycle replacement for student computers with software, K-12

Infrastructure/Hardware ~15 computers

$12,000 Computers older than 9 years at the elementary level

Life cycle replacement cycle for administrative computers

Infrastructure/Hardware Updated hardware for Chancery-Pearson SMS

Included in operating funds for

admin computing

Newton North/South Guidance Dept.

South High wireless project Infrastructure Cisco Managed Wireless in every instructional space, Newton South

Use of E-Rate funds

Total cost: $201,000. Existing E-Rate funds of $201,000 approved to fund project, 7/09).

Web Help Desk Ticketing software

Infrastructure District Included in operating funds for

admin computing ($9,375)

Online system for staff to report technical issues and receive feedback.

Purchase a KBOX 1000 Series Systems

Infrastructure Management system for PCs

Included in operating

Improve efficiency and effectiveness in


Management Appliance funds for admin

computing ($23,541)

troubleshooting and administering all PC computers in the district.

Instructional Technology Specialist for Online Learning

Administration and Support/Professional Development

Oversee development of online courses

$65,000 Provide professional development and manage the infrastructure (Moodle server) to expand online learning for teachers/students

Program Evaluation Specialist


Implement DESE data warehouse

$65,000 Set up, implement, and manage student assessment information easily accessible to teachers

Software for district assessment of student data


Program developed by PCG

$30,000 Support and training for use of the application will be done by Data Assessment Specialist

Library Teacher .4 FTE Teaching and Learning Support increase of student enrollments

$30,000 .2 FTE Horace Mann/.2 FTE Burr

Instructional Tech Specialist .2 FTE

Teaching and Learning Provide curricular support at schools

$15,000 Increasing student enrollment

Software/Hardware for curriculum focal point initiatives for first year targeted disciplines

Infrastructure/Teaching and Learning

Math (Fastt Math), reading fluency (Read Naturally), science (Gizmos), universal design instructional software with training

$100,000 Portion of funds used to upgrade older computers in order to run Fastt Math software at designated 3rd grades ($51,000).

Tools to implement pilot for 21st Century Classroom

Infrastructure/Teaching and Learning

6th grade team at Bigelow Middle

$66,000 Suite of interactive tools (2 classrooms) and netbooks for every student (55)

Subtotal: $421,000

Grand Total: $696,734 *Teacher laptops provided to: Elementary--all classroom teachers, physical education, music, art Middle--all classroom teachers, physical education, music, art, World Languages, ELL High--all classroom teachers and specialists

72

Appendix F

UPDATED 2010-2012

DETAILED ACTION PLANS

FUNDED REQUESTS


Teaching and Learning

TL 1: Newton Public School teachers will integrate technology to enhance the modeling, demonstration, and exploration of key concepts into appropriate content areas to engage students and deepen their learning experience.


Action Person Responsible Expected Focus of this Action Step

Timeline

Agree upon K-8 focal points for technology integration by grade level and/or subject area for math, science, social studies and language arts.

Executive Director for Instructional Programs, curriculum coordinators K-8, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, principals, teachers

Updated charts that show mapping of technology skills with curriculum areas is posted on the teacher portal.

Oct. 2010-June 2012

Using the grade level charts of technology standards, continue to develop subject specific lessons/units.

Curriculum coordinators K-8, Coordinator of Instructional Technology,ITS, library and classroom teachers

Teams of teachers develop and pilot sample technology-based lessons/units for the agreed-upon disciplines.

January 2011 -Aug. 2012

Develop performance assessments K-5 to reflect student mastery of technology benchmarks.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, library teachers, classroom teachers

Assessments are used to evaluate student skill level of technology use.

Sept. 2010-June 2012

Research several options for sharing online best practices/lessons/resources

Executive Director for Instructional Programs, curriculum coordinators K-8, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS

A web-based system is selected and implemented.

Oct. 2010-Aug. 2011

Begin to disseminate and promote the ongoing development of the technology-enhanced lessons tied to selected focus areas.

Curriculum coordinators, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, library teachers

Exemplary technology-enhanced lessons that support the curriculum are shared via the Instructional Technology Web Site of Best Practices and accessible to all K-8 teachers.

June 2011 -Aug. 2012

Continue 21st century demonstration teacher team at Bigelow Middle School.

Curriculum coordinators K-8, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, library teacher, 6th grade Team 6B

Exemplary best practices involving use of interactive tools and netbooks are shared widely across district.


Share evaluation of 21st century classroom at Bigelow.

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, 6th grade teachers in conjunction with Boston College research team.

Final report from Boston College inTASC group at the Lynch School of Education is shared with school department.

Oct. 2010

TL 2: Newton Public School students will use technology in socially responsible ways to enhance productivity, communication, research, and collaboration and to demonstrate their understanding of curriculum concepts.


Action Person Responsible


Continue to incorporate fair use/copyright guidelines into lesson development.

ITS, library teachers, classroom teachers, administrators

Resources (http://www.newton.k12.ma.us./NSHS/Library/CopyrightNPS/index.htm) for fair use/copyright will be made available for teachers and students as a reference.


All Newton employees are informed about the following district policies: Web Publishing Policy, Student Acceptable Use Policy, Employee Acceptable Use Policy, and Confidentiality Policy.

ITS, library teachers, regular classroom teachers, administrators

All policies are available within HR Policies and Procedures Conference.

Sept. 2010-Jan. 2012

Refine and continue to implement cyber-safety lessons.

ITS, library teachers, Health and wellness teachers, and classroom teachers

Lessons are taught in grades 3-8. Expand to grade 9-12 as appropriate.

Oct. 2010-Feb. 2011

Improve accessibility to instructional materials for all students by promoting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in lesson design and implementation at the secondary level.

Executive Director for Instructional Programs, curriculum coordinators K-8, dept. heads 9-12, Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Universal Design Tech Specialist and Adaptive Technology Specialist

Agreed-upon toolkit includes a variety of resources that are readily available to classroom teachers in grades 9-12.


TL 3: Faculty will use technology to collect and analyze K-12 student data to differentiate and inform instruction.



Expected Focus of this Action Step

Timeline

Continue to build upon the NPS data culture.

Deputy Superintendent, Executive Director for Instructional Programs, Data and Assessment Specialist for C&I, Program Evaluation Specialist, Director of IT, Manager of Info Systems

District Data Team will use the District Data Team Toolkit (provided by the DESE) as a guide to implement recommendations that resulted from the data audit that was conducted during FY’10.


Continue to support school-based data teams in the areas of data collection, data quality, data analysis, and data culture.

Data and Assessment Specialist for C&I, Program Evaluation Specialist, Director of IT, District Data Team Subcommittees

Three subcommittees (Support for School-based Data Teams, Best Practices for Intervention, and K-12 Achievement Gap) will provide resources, support, and training for school-based data teams.


Continue to implement procedures for collecting and

Executive Director for Instructional Programs, Data and Assessment

All student assessment data is centralized to promote efficient data extraction for analysis.

Sept. 2010-Dec. 2010

storing appropriate student assessment data.

Specialist for C&I, Program Evaluation Specialist, Director of IT, Manager of Info Systems, District Assessment Team

Continue to plan for and implement process of entering local data into the DESE Data Warehouse.

Data and Assessment Specialist for C&I, Program Evaluation Specialist, Director of IT, Manager of Info Systems

The following tasks are completed: type of data to be loaded is determined, collection/storage of data is completed, and data extracted and uploaded to the Education Data Warehouse.

Nov. 2010-June 2012

Continue training for use of DESE data warehouse for administrators and teachers.

Program Evaluation Specialist, Data and Assessment Specialist for C&I

Key administrators on district data team, principals and teachers who are members of school-based data teams will be trained on use of DESE Data Warehouse.

Aug. 2010-June. 2012

TL 4: Faculty will use technology as a tool to enhance student learning and communication throughout the school and parent community.

Action Steps 2010-2012 Action Person

Responsible Expected Focus of this

Action Step Timeline

Continue to develop the use of Web 2.0 collaboration tools (i.e. blogs, wikis, and podcasts) to improve delivery of instruction and to foster communication.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, library teacher, Web Facilitator, ITS for Online Learning, classroom teachers

Key Web 2.0 tools are identified and integrated to support the student learning goals outlined in Vision 2020.


Continue to develop our online course management system (Moodle) to improve school-home communication at secondary level.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, library teacher, ITS for Online Learning, classroom teachers

Teachers develop online courses to supplement and extend lessons taught during the school day.


Begin to develop our Coordinator of Teachers will begin to Sept. 2010-June

online course management system (Moodle) to improve school-home communication at grades 4-5.

Instructional Technology, ITS, library teacher, ITS for Online Learning, classroom teachers

develop online courses to supplement and extend lessons taught during the school day.

2011

Continue to develop and maintain school and classroom web sites for improved communication with the Newton community.

Teachers, ITS, library teachers, principals, Web Facilitator

Every school has an up-to-date web site. Newton teachers create web sites to provide timely information about school and classroom activities.

Oct. 2010-June 2012

Pilot implementation of parent portal (ParentCONNECT) to improve school/home communication.

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of IT, principals, teachers

Three schools (Williams, Brown, and South) will pilot use of ParentCONNECT and give feedback to task force to make recommendations for implementation at other 18 schools.

Sept. 2010-Feb. 2012

Continue to implement content management software to improve consistent web site creation and management.

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of IT, Web Facilitator

The following websites will be revamped using Drupal to improve communication with parents and the community: South High, Brown Middle, Ward Elementary, and the Central Office webpages.


Begin to train key administrators and/or support staff and Instructional Technology Specialists on updating web sites.

Web Facilitator Staff will be able to update and maintain the web pages that are aligned with their department and/or school.


Detailed Action Plans Revised for 2010-2011 Professional Development PD 1: The district will provide accessible professional development for teachers in the use of technology to support 21st century student learning.




Pilot a new professional development offering, Learning 2.0, for NPS staff to learn how to use Web 2.0 tools to support the 4 Cs (critical and creative thinking, collaboration and communication.)

Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Curriculum coordinators K-8, high school dept. heads, ITS, library teachers

The Learning 2.0 workshop (14 sessions with 8 topics) will be offered after-school hours (hybrid model) to meet the 21st century learning needs of Newton staff and students. Results of workshop evaluation will be used to modify the offering to ensure learning needs are met.

Oct. 2010-June 2012

Provide training for the LoTi (Levels of Teaching Innovation)- H.E.A.T. framework (Higher order thinking skills, engaged and authentic learning, and technology) framework (http://loticonnection.com/index.html).

Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Curriculum coordinators K-8, 9-12 dept. heads, ITS, library teachers

Principals, coordinators, department heads and ITS will pilot the use of the H.E.A.T. framework when collaborating with teachers to assess the impact of lessons that incorporate 21st century skills with the support of technology on student learning.

Oct. 2010-June 2011

Provide training for effective use of interactive boards (SMART, ENO) that are being implemented at the 5th, 6th and high school level.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, math coaches, K-8 Coordinators

Teachers will create and share SMART notebooks to support classroom lessons that use the H.E.A.T. framework.


Continue to support STEM initiative pilots at the secondary level.

Executive Director for Instructional Programs, math/science curriculum coordinators, math/science dept. heads 9-12, Director of IT, secondary math/science teachers, UDL Tech Specialist

Teachers involved with pilots will receive appropriate training and professional development. (e.g. Sixth grade teachers will receive training and collaborate at Concord Consortium to develop lessons that support the Loops Project and high school biology teachers will receive training for the UDL biology curriculum with EDC and CAST). Secondary teachers will continue to participate in the Metro/West LIFT2 (Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology) teacher professional development focused on improving student awareness and interest in STEM curriculum and careers. (http://www.lift2.org/)


Begin to train school or department webmasters.

ITS, Web Facilitator

Building-based and departmental websites will be consistent across schools and updated on a regular basis.


Continue to offer “just-in-time” training on how to incorporate technology benchmarks to support key curriculum units at each grade level.

Executive Director for C&I, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, curriculum coordinators K-8, dept. heads 9-12 and library teachers.

Teachers create and share technology-enhanced lessons that support the agreed-upon curriculum units at each grade level.


Continue to offer “just-in-time” training and workshops to support use of teacher laptops for productivity tasks.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, library teachers

Teachers use laptops for administrative tasks (grading, attendance) and to enhance efficiency. Special focus will be on new grading program, PowerTeacher and ParentCONNECT.

Sept. 2010-May 2012

Continue to offer an intensive multi-day summer technology camp experience to give teachers the time and support to develop lessons incorporating 21st century tools.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, library teachers, classroom teachers

Interested teachers will participate in Camp 2011 and produce lessons and/or activities that integrate technology tools into their classroom teaching.

June 2011 and June 2012

PD 2: The district will provide specialized technology-based professional development to learn subject area content.

Action Steps 2010- 2012

Action Step Person Responsible


Timeline

Promote the Saturday STEM Academy Middle School Program for middle school students to encourage the student participation in the math and sciences. (Academy funded through MetroWest Regional Employment Board)

Director of IT, middle school principals, math/science coordinators, middle school math/science teachers

Newton middle school METCO students are recruited and selected to attend four seminars on Saturday at the Christa McAuliffe/Challenger Learning Center at Framingham State College, the Olin College of Engineering in Needham.


Pilot the use of webinar software to provide online professional development for Newton staff.

Executive Director for C&I, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Secondary ITS, curriculum coordinators K-8, ITS for Online Learning

Teachers will be able to attend online professional development in their own building as well as watch archived versions of the webinars as needed.

Oct. 2010-June 2012

Pilot use of online tutorials for basic technology programs offered at NPS.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, Coordinator of Libraries, ITS for Online Learning, UDL Tech Specialist

Library of technology tutorials to help new staff learn programs integral to the NPS administrative and teaching functions will be available online.


Continue to use our Course Management System to develop “just-in-time” training opportunities for Newton staff.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, curriculum coordinators K-8, dept. heads 9-12, ITS for Online Learning

Courses are developed for teacher professional development that support the agreed-upon curricular area best served with online course management.


Continue to identify key areas of the curriculum that would benefit from the use of an online course management system (e.g. Moodle) with secondary students.

Executive Director for C&I, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Secondary ITS, curriculum coordinators K-8, Dept. Heads 9-12, ITS for Online Learning

Continue to develop online courses to enhance supplement daily lessons with students at the secondary school level.


Begin to identify key areas of the curriculum that would benefit from the use of an online course management system (e.g. Moodle) with elementary students.

Executive Director for C&I, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Elementary ITS, curriculum coordinators K-8 , ITS for Online Learning

Begin to develop online courses to enhance/supplement daily lessons with students at the elementary school level.



Infrastructure IT 1: NPS will provide the hardware, software, peripherals, supplies, maintenance and staffing to support equitably ongoing instructional and administrative needs.




Continue to refine and test out, with stakeholder input, specifications for a standard classroom at each level that contains a baseline complement of hardware, software, and peripheral equipment (i.e. teacher/student computing, projection devices, probes, digital camera, interactive tools, and shared printers).

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Library Coordinator, Manager of Information Systems, ITS, and teachers

Continue to purchase hardware, software and peripherals in order to meet the updated guidelines listed in the Standard Configuration chart (Appendix A) through the partnerships of the school-based PTOs, NSF, and NPS operating budget.

Aug. 2010-June 2012

Continue to review and revise the specifications of IT equipment and software to ensure that Universal Design principles (UDL) are in compliance with Section 508 of the IDEA.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, Universal Design Tech Specialist, and Adaptive Technology Specialist

All hardware, software, and peripherals are purchased in accordance with universal design principles.

Aug. 2010-June 2012

Implement energy management software to monitor Mac and PC computers across the district and power them off nights and weekends when idle.

Manager of Information Systems, Network Specialists

Power management software will be carefully phased in to insure that energy savings are achieved with little to no disruption to NPS computer users throughout the district.

Nov. 2010-June 2011

Implement cloud computing model (Google docs) for student computer use to improve instructional practice at the secondary level.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of Information Systems, ITS, classroom

Teachers and students at the secondary level will use the various Google tools (documents, spreadsheets, forms) for communication and collaboration 24/7.

Oct. 2010-June 2012

teachers Implement NAC (Network Access Control) security at Newton South High School.

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of Information Systems, Network Specialists

NAC access security can detect and apply NPS security policy on the growing number of personally-owned mobile technology devices (e.g. laptops, iPads, iPhones) being brought into school by students and teachers

Oct.. 2010-January 2011

Replace PC desktops of secretaries at elementary and middle school levels.

Manager of Information Systems, Tech Assist

Improve the efficiency of secretaries by upgrading their 2004-vintage PCs with faster and more energy-efficient systems with larger screen displays

September 2010-October 2010

Continue to promote a hardware replacement plan to replace 15% of existing inventory annually (student use).

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of Information Systems

Students have up-to-date hardware capable of supporting current applications and online resources.

Nov. 2010-April 2012

Define and implement a selection process for reviewing choice of platform for teacher laptops at the middle school level.

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of Information Systems, middle school ITS, teachers

Platform for teacher laptops will be agreed upon that supports both administrative and curricular needs. (Elementary and High School platform is currently Mac OS)

September 2010-November 2010

Continue to promote a hardware replacement plan for teacher laptops to replace 20% of existing inventory annually.

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of Information Systems

Teachers have up-to-date hardware capable of supporting curriculum and administrative needs.

Nov. 2010-April 2012

Research and recommend alternative models of computing (such as parent lease or students bringing in personal mobile devices) to support the 1-1 computing model to provide secondary school students with just-in-time access to

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of Information Systems, ITS, classroom teachers

Implementation of the Network Access Control (NAC) device to authenticate all devices on the NPS network.

March 2012

digital tools.

Continue to support, as component of the K-8 curriculum coordination project, a standard complement of software at each grade level and discipline, K-8.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, library teachers, curriculum coordinators K-8, classroom teachers coordinators K-8, classroom teachers

Fast Math at grade 3 will be extended to grade 4, ), Read Naturally at grades 3-8, Type to Learn, grades 3-5, and Gizmos for 6-8 science.


Explore alternatives for establishing instructional software purchase and guidelines for use across the district.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Coordinator of Libraries

Develop a software inventory model at the K-8 level to track software licenses and ensure maintenance and upgrades are done in a timely fashion.

Feb. 2011-June 2011

*Draft of standard classroom, see Appendix A IT 2: The district will continue to improve centralized services that are distributed throughout the district.




Improve the network bandwidth to school buildings to accommodate the increased use of multimedia services (e.g. Discovery Education, mobile devices, etc.)

Manager of IT, Network specialists

Elementary level- from 100 megabits/sec to 1 gigabit/sec Newton South- from 1 gigabit/sec to 10 gigabits/sec

Nov. 201o-June 2012

Continue promoting SIF (School Interoperability Framework) technology solutions across the district.

Manager of IT, Data Base Administrators

Convert 1 of the following district applications to SIF: SNAP (tracking for student medical issues), LunchBox (cafeteria point of sales), or Destiny (library automation).


Implement use of a virtual help desk for IT problem

Manager of IT, Tech Assist staff, Network

All staff will use the online Web Desk ticketing system to report hardware and

Sept. 2010-October 2011

reporting and knowledge base development.

specialists, ITS and library teachers

software issues.

Promote and expand use of PowerTeacher, the electronic grade book software that integrates with our Chancery SMS student management system (SIS) from Pearson.

Manager of IT, Data specialists, ITS

Increase usage by 20% through extensive training and support given by the middle and high school Instructional Technology Specialists and teachers who are experienced users.


Pilot the use of the ParentCONNECT parent portal from Pearson which integrates with Chancery SMS student information system (SIS) and the PowerTeacher electronic gradebook.

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, Manager of IT, network specialist, Instructional Tech Specialists

Pilot Pearson’s ParentCONNECT portal at Williams Elementary, Brown Middle School and Newton South High School with a plan for expansion to other schools.

Oct. 2010-Jan 2012


Administration and Support SS 1: The district will promote a vision for technology that is focused on learning and achievement for all students and is representative of and supported by faculty, administrators, Superintendent, and School Committee. Action Steps 2010-2012



Timeline

Continue to promote and support school-based technology committees at all levels to coordinate technology initiatives, explore funding alternatives, and implement programs within the framework of the district plan.

Director of IT, Chair of school-based Tech Committees, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, principals, ITS

School-based initiatives are better informed and are able to align school-based initiatives with the district technology plan.

Sept. 10-June 2012

Plan and develop an online Moodle site to support the work of the Blended Learning Team at the high school level.

Executive Director of Instructional Programs, Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, High School Principals, Dept. Heads, Online Learning Specialist

Blended Learning Team teachers at North and South will be fully supported as they develop an online central repository for the agreed-upon disciplines of introductory physics and Latin.


Research best methods for sharing interactive Notebook lessons, grades 5-12.

Executive Director of Instructional Programs, Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, K-8 Coordinators and High School Dept. Heads.

Various online programs will be evaluated according to an agreed-upon rubric. One program will be recommended for purchase for FY’13.


SS 2: The district will adopt leading practices to provide yearly funding sufficient to support the full and equitable implementation of the district-wide Three-Year Technology Plan. The district will work to develop new sources of funding for technology-related initiatives and overall education. Action Steps 2010-2012


Expected Result of this Action Step

Timeline

Continue to investigate alternative ways for funding the necessary hardware, peripherals (interactive tools, projection devices, digital cameras, etc.) and software needed for student computing.

Director of IT Through a variety of funding sources, up-to-date hardware, software and peripherals are more readily available to improve instruction across the district.


Partner with the Newton Schools Foundation (NSF) to educate the community about the 21st Century Classroom.

Director of IT, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ITS, 5th grade and North High teachers, NSF Fundraiser

Interactive devices (interactive boards and student response systems) are installed in all 5th grades and a portion of 6th grades.


Continue to leverage use of federal e-Rate funds to improve and expand NPS network infrastructure.

Manager of Information Systems, network specialists

???? Sept. 2010-June 2012


Newton Public Schools-Year 3 (FY’11) Increased Funding for Technology Initiatives End of Year Additional Funds for Year 3, June 2010

Item Key Area Details Amount Comments Update South Cutler Lab Infrastructure/Hardware

South High 24 desktop computers with software

$25,433 Replace end of life student desktop computers

Mobile Library Cart A Infrastructure/Hardware South High

25 laptops with software

$27,592 Replace end of life student laptops

Mobile Library Cart B Infrastructure/Hardware South High



Mobile Social Studies Cart Infrastructure/Hardware South High



Update South Wheeler/Goldrick Lab

Infrastructure/Hardware South High

24 desktop computers with software

$25,433 Replace end of life student computers

Update South Music Lab Infrastructure/Hardware South High

21 desktop computers with software

$58,471 Replace end of life student computers

Subtotal: $192,113 Approved Increased Funding for Year 3 (FY ’11)

Item Key Area Details Amount Comments Life cycle replacement 15% for student computers with software in designated 6-12 specialized labs (Tech Engineering labs at Brown and OH, Tech Engineering Lab at South

Infrastructure/Hardware 44 student desktops: 12 Brown, 12 OH, 20 CAD South

$35,200 Students will be introduced to the critical Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills resources that are part of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for science and engineering.

Life cycle replacement for teacher laptops with software, K-12

Infrastructure/Hardware Replace grade 6 teacher laptops

$33,200 Computers older than 9 years at the elementary level

Life cycle replacement cycle for administrative computers

Infrastructure/Hardware Updated hardware for Chancery-Pearson SMS

Included in operating funds for

admin computing

Elementary secretaries

Math and Science Depts. Infrastructure/Hardware South High

35 Document Cameras

$17,465 New devices for teaching and learning

Blended Learning Team North and South High

Teaching and Learning/Professional Development

Oversee development of online courses

$26,000 Follow through of recommendations by Virtual Learning Task Force (2009-2010) teachers/students

Subtotal: $111,865

Grand Total: $303,978 *Teacher laptops provided to: Elementary--all classroom teachers, physical education, music, art Middle--all classroom teachers, physical education, music, art, World Languages, ELL High--all classroom teachers and specialists

Appendix G UPDATED 2012-‐2013

Action Plans and Goals -‐ Revised for FY12-‐FY13

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND LIBRARY MEDIA

FY12-‐FY13 Initiatives by department goals 1. Support the integration of technology into all of Newtons’ classrooms • Assessed the current state of technology in all classrooms and designed

deployment plans to improve and equalize access to more current and robust digital learning tools in all schools and classrooms.

• Began to replace and update classroom technology, including teacher laptops, student carts, and projection devices, district-‐wide.

• Created a plan and began to infuse the middle schools with more robust access and updated digital learning tools.

• Created a plan to replace the functions of the aging language lab at Newton South. • Began the design and plan for funding of the remaining wide area network and

internal infrastructure needs district-‐wide. 2. Build on district wide initiatives. • Began to build and establish the new “OurNewton” learning platform, moving

from the Moodle tool to ItsLearning learning platform • Began to design and build a professional development management system within

OurNewton. • Continued to expand the development of webinar-‐based professional

development. • Launched Google Apps for education district-‐wide. • Continued to update and develop an improved district website. • Began plans for centralized digital resources to support anytime any where access

for all curriculum areas. 3. Improve technical infrastructure and services to meet district wide needs. • Designed a multi-‐year network improvement plan, which will increase ten-‐fold

the connection speeds of all twenty-‐two school buildings, as well as double the wireless network capacity to support the 1-‐1 computing.

• Improved the capacity and quality of the district network, particularly at Newton South.

• Redesigned the technical help desk for more timely and efficient responding. • Made adjustments to purchasing practices to leverage bulk buying of hardware

and parts. • Facilitated the upgrade of approximately 1,000 laptops and desktops district wide

to stretch the life expectancy of the hardware.

FY13 OBJECTIVES AND BUDGET STATEMENT The FY13 budget for the Information Technology and Library Department include improvements to support the increase in bandwidth the district requires to provide robust Internet access and increased use of digital tools (such as OurNewton and Googledocs). Minor adjustments to staff positions will be made to reflect advanced skill sets and additional needs for year-‐round technical services. These staffing adjustments include an increase for a technical support position currently at Newton South to serve both high schools more effectively. The Information Technology and Library Department will continue working in conjunction with Teaching & Learning to ensure that learning is “powered” by technology. Proposed Operating Budget FY 13 (without salaries)

Budget Book Description Account Description Total Administrative Hardware PC HARDWARE-ADMIN $117,749.00 Administrative Software PC SOFTWARE-ADMIN $44,100.00 Instructional Equipment PC HARDWARE-INSTRUCTIONAL $267,850.00 Instructional Software PC SOFTWARE-INSTRUCTIONAL $81,393.00

Internet Access INTERNET ACCESS CHARGES $24,000.00 Library Technology Resources LIBRARY SUPPLIES $29,300.00

DUES & SUBSCRIPTIONS $800.00 Repair and Maintenance COMPUTER EQUIPMT R-M $370,000.00

Training Expenses PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT $55,000.00 Office Supplies, Materials & Printing - IT E-RATE CONSULTANTS $15,950.00

PRINTING $1,000.00 OFFICE SUPPLIES $3,000.00 REFRESHMENTS/MEALS $300.00

Office Supplies, Materials & Printing PROFESSIONAL SERVICES $5,000.00 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPLIES $4,000.00 COMPUTER SUPPLIES $16,000.00 DUES & SUBSCRIPTIONS $1,250.00

Grand Total $1,036,692.00

Proposed District Wide Initiatives for Beginning FY12-‐FY13

CATEGORY ITEM LOCATION AMOUNT Budgetary Resource

Foundation

Infrastructure

Upgrade and Expand MS Infrastructure :Internal

connections and wireless Middle Schools/4 $650,000 CIP/NSF/E-Rate

Infrastructure

Update City Wide Fiber Network in conjunction with

City Operations DW $1,000,000 CIP

Infrastructure Maintain Instructional

Technology Operations: DW $300,000 FY13 Operating

Budget

Infrastructure Media Storage and Delivery

Phase 1 Head End DW $500,000 CIP/NFS/?

Instructional

Teacher use Update K-3 Teacher

Laptops DW $230,000 FY13 Operating

Budget

Classroom/ Student use

Expand student technology access at Middle Schools Middle Schools/4 $200,000

FY13 Operating/BC Partnership/PTO


Projector/Doc Camera to Middle Schools City Wide Middle Schools/4 $91,000 Health Holiday


Add Document cameras to remaining classrooms with

projection Newton South $30,000 NSF Classroom/ Student use

Replace World Language Lab Newton South $40,000 Health 1 funds

Classroom/ Student use Replace 105 aging

Projectors Newton South $100,000 NSF Classroom/ Student use Media Distribution

Hardware North and South $220,000 CIP/NSF Classroom/ Student use

Complete Projector/Doc Cam Rollout to Elem Classrooms city wide All Elementary $40,000

BC Partnership/PTO/FY

12 Operating Professional Development


Our Newton University (June 2012) DW $40,000

FY12/13 Operating/NSF

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Designed by Kevin J. Keane • Printed by Graphic Communications Department at Newton North High School

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Newton Tech Plan